Beesotted contributors The Gowler and Paul Kowalczyk (@BeesBreakdown) give us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s loss against Everton.
Brentford looked to bounce back after the loss to Newcastle last weekend. Thomas Frank switched to a 4-3-3 with a few changes due to injury. Hickey replaced Rico Henry at left back, while Roerslev came into the starting XI as the right back. Schade was set to start as the left winger, but an injury in warmups caused him to miss the match. Ben Mee also missed the match due to injury and Nathan Collins got the start alongside Ethan Pinnock. The typical midfield trio of Jensen, Nørgaard, and Janelt was unchanged, while Wissa and Mbeumo joined Lewis-Potter in the front 3.
Everton’s new signing, Beto, got the start up top alongside Doucourè in a 4-4-1-1. Sean Dyche deployed his usual back line of Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, and Young. James Garner got the start as the right midfielder with McNeil opposite on the left. Onana and Gueye the central midfielders, while Danjuma and Calvert-Lewin were left on the bench.
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Thomas Frank made some substitutions and tactical adjustments in the 61st minute. He sent on Ajer and Onyeka for Roerslev and Janelt which prompted a change to a 3-5-2. Typically thought of as a defensive tactical change, Thomas Frank was seemingly trying to get Brentford to adjust to Everton’s width and create combination play in wide areas. This theoretically would also allow Wissa and Lewis-Potter to drift to the wings to help create numbers advantages.
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Quick Stats:
Possession: Brentford 56% – 44% Everton
xG: Brentford 1.03 – 1.90 Everton
xGOT: Brentford 0.90 – 1.53 Everton
Shots: Brentford 6 – 18 Everton
Shots on Target: Brentford 2 – 6 Everton
Clearances: Brentford 16 – 20 Everton
Other Brentford stats:
Interceptions: 7
Aerial duels won: 17 (38%)
Summary
Brentford having to adjust to a starting XI without Rico Henry was already hard enough without also losing Schade in warmups. It’s known Hickey is not a like for like replacement for Rico Henry, and Lewis-Potter also has different attributes than Schade.
Hickey was not advancing down the wing like Henry would, and was more of a stay-at-home left-back. Most of Brentford’s attacking sequences started down the right wing, but some poor passes limited the Bees going forward.
An important stat in this match was the aerial duels won. Brentford struggled only winning 38% of aerial duels. Everton were the more physical side and scored two goals from winning these battles. Beto won 8 out of 12 aerial duels while Tarkowski won 8 out of 9. Everton were winning these battles on both ends of the pitch, causing trouble for Brentford at the back and stymieing Brentford’s attack.
In the past, Brentford have won matches by focusing on winning these battles, along with winning second balls. The Bees struggled defending the style of football that has brought them so much success. Brentford also allowed the most key passes to an opponent so far this season (14).
Everton were the dominant and more physical side, which Brentford surprisingly failed to stop. For a team that is so good on the little things in a match, it was unexpected to see them losing those marginal battles.
Brentford face a tough challenge in the EFL Cup this Wednesday with Arsenal coming to the GTech. Then the Bees travel to Nottingham Forest for a Sunday away day. Thomas Frank hopes to get his squad back on track, but key injuries will continue to make this a challenge.
