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Beesotted contributors The Gowler and Paul Kowalczyk (@BeesBreakdown) give us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s defeat against Wolves.

Thomas Frank switched to a 4-3-3, and made a few changes from the starting XI against Aston Villa. After a red card to Ben Mee, Nathan Collins returned to the starting lineup to face his former club, paired next to Ethan Pinnock. Ghoddos and Roerslev were the fullbacks, with Ajer and Hickey still recovering from injury. The midfield trio consisted of Yarmolyuk, Nørgaard, and Janelt as Jensen returned to the bench after an adductor strain. Wissa, Maupay, and Keane Lewis-Potter led the line for the Bees.

Gary O’Neil chose a 3-4-2-1, with Gomes, Santiago Bueno, and Kilman the back 3. Nouri and Semedo the wide players, while Lemina and Gomes were the central midfielders. Hwang, Sarabia, and Cunha comprised the front three for Wolves. Doherty offered experience off the bench, while youngsters, Doyle and Hugo Bueno looked to provide a spark.

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Quick Stats:

Possession: Brentford 60% – 40% Wolves

xG: Brentford 2.23 – 2.39 Wolves

xGOT: Brentford 2.21 – 2.13 Wolves

Shots: Brentford 14 – 11 Wolves

Shots on Target: Brentford 4 – 5 Wolves

Clearances: Brentford 11 – 39 Wolves

PPDA: Brentford 12.18 – 7.35 Wolves

Other Brentford stats:

Interceptions: 6

Aerial duels won: 21 (51%)

Summary

Another disappointing result for the Bees, after a sloppy performance. Brentford had no trouble creating chances going forward, even ending with similar xG as Wolves, but couldn’t make the most of their chances. Brentford missed all three of their big chances, while Wissa converted a 0.15 xG chance for his goal.

Brentford controlled 60% possession, but a few errors altered the game drastically. Some uncharacteristic giveaways from Nathan Collins gifted Wolves a few goals. The Bees displayed a fearless attitude, buzzing their way back into the match after going 2-0 down in the first 15 minutes, but this dissipated as the match progressed.

Fans could see glimpses of Brentford’s willingness to play through the centre of the pitch, but the Bees have a long way to go in order to start seeing this consistently working. Keep on eye on how the tactics evolve as Brentford continue to get players back from injury.

Cunha’s holdup play showed another issue Brentford has been having when holding more possession. Opponents have been able to locate an easy outlet and then find themselves in 1v1 situations from counters. Brentford’s rest defence hasn’t been the same since Rico Henry got injured, and took a further blow with Hickey out.

Keane Lewis-Potter almost had a breakout game if Brentford were able to get on the end of his passes. He ended with 0.4 xAG and 4 shot creating actions. He also completed 4 successful take-ons, something this team is missing without Mbeumo.