Spread the love

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

Thomas Frank stuck with his 3-5-2 with Zanka, Ajer, and Collins on the backline with Mee out injured for the rest of the season. Roerslev and Reguilon were the wingbacks joining Onyeka, Nørgaard, and Janelt in midfield. Wissa joined Toney up top, with Maupay sitting on the bench waiting to make an impact. Jensen and Keane Lewis-Potter other notable names on the bench.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side came out in a similar 3-5-2 with Colwill, Chalobah, and Disasi making up the backline. Fernandez, Caicedo, and Gallagher made up the midfield with Chilwell and Gusto the wingbacks. xG merchant Nico Jackson started up top with Cole Palmer in an advanced role.

4th Minute

5th Minute

11th Minute

35th Minute

49th Minute

52nd Minute

61st Minute

69th Minute

77th Minute

84th Minute

 

Summary

Brentford finished with 1.83 xG to Chelsea’s 1.81, signaling a close match and a draw a fair result. Brentford fans may be a bit disappointed with dropping points after going up 2-1 and not being able to put the game away, but Chelsea missed their fair share of chances too.

Brentford utilized their high press and man marking less than normal, but were able to situationally use it to create shots from defensive actions. Occasionally, Chelsea broke Brentford’s press, but they wasted some chances from these scenarios.

The Bees had success from sending in crosses, completing 7 crosses in the box, which was the most so far this season. Roerslev’s accuracy led to much of this success, completing 4 crosses into the box, with 3 key passes, and ending with 0.4 xAG.

Another crucial element of Brentford’s success, was Nørgaard’s defensive positioning and emphasis on winning second balls. Nørgaard ended with 10 tackles and interceptions, along with 10 ball recoveries as he continues to lead the Premier League in this statistic.