Beesotted contributor Jacob ‘The Gowler’ Gowler (@BeesBreakdown) is back for the start of the new season to give us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s win against Aston Villa.
Keith Andrews made a few changes to his starting XI, with new options on the bench and players returning to fitness. The 4-2-3-1 saw Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, and Lewis-Potter on the backline. The double pivot saw Jordan Henderson get his first start alongside Yarmoliuk, with Damsgaard returning. Outtara immediately slid into the starting XI with Schade on the opposite wing. Thiago again started up top, with Wissa still not in the squad.
Unai Emery’s side matched up in a 4-2-3-1 with Digne, Torres, Mings, and Cash at the back. Onana and Kamara the defensive midfielders with Tielemans in an advanced role ahead of them. McGinn and Rogers the wingers supporting Ollie Watkins leading the line. Konsa missed out due to a red card against Newcastle.
1st Minute
9th Minute
12th Minute
62nd Minute
68th Minute
91st Minute
Keith Andrew’s tactics worked well for an Aston Villa side that wanted to create chances from through balls, with Brentford dropping deep and not allowing them the space to do so. Andrews also looked to attack Villa’s high line, by sending balls over the top, and Brentford scored from this exact scenario.
During the sequence before the goal, Kelleher had an easy short pass to Yarmoliuk to beat the press but opted for the long ball to Thiago. A clear indication that Andrews wanted to target Aston Villa that way.
The Bees allowed Villa time on the ball and limited transitional moments. Brentford started dropping into their mid and low block after scoring and looked to hold on to the lead. Andrews trusted the structure out-of-possession and knew Villa would struggle to break it down.
Aston Villa typically resorted to switching play and recycling possession to try to find space but were rarely able to do so. Villa offered glimpses of ways to create space, such as using third man passes, but these were few and far between.
Brentford’s midfield trio looked much more balanced with Henderson providing stability, Yarmoliuk being everywhere, and Damsgaard creating chances going forward.
Damsgaard instantly returned to his phenomenal form with seven ball recoveries, six shot creating actions, four passes blocked, and three key passes. Also, a very noticeable difference, especially out of possession, with Damsgaard’s impact on Brentford’s press.
