Beesotted contributor Jacob ‘The Gowler’ Gowler (@BeesBreakdown) gives us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s win against Newcastle.
Brentford created 1.79 xG to Newcastle’s 2.24 with each team converting their penalty. Perhaps surprisingly, Newcastle created 0.88 xG from set plays while struggling to create much from open play. This was especially apparent later in the match as Newcastle only created 0.23 xG in the second half from open play.
The storyline for this one was Keith’s in-game adjustments. His decision to swap Ouattara and KLP proved to be a decisive one. Later on, Keith switched to a 4-4-2 to protect the lead, which did its job, although Brentford conceded from their own corner kick. Then Keith Andrews reverted back to his initial tactics and focused on winning second balls.
Even though Newcastle won 59% of aerial duels, Brentford cleaned up the second balls and immediately attacked from these situations. The importance of this seen in Brentford’s third goal with Jensen waiting for the second ball with Tonali nowhere close.
