Beesotted contributor The Gowler (@BeesBreakdown) gives us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s win against Crystal Palace.
Brentford’s fourth Premier League season kicked off at the Gtech against Crystal Palace. The Bees were without Ivan Toney, amid transfer interest from Saudi Arabia, and new signing Igor Thiago missing the first half of the season due to injury. Thomas Frank chose to use a 4-3-3 to start the season, with Wissa at striker joined by Mbeumo and Schade. The midfield trio comprised of Janelt, Norgaard, and the backline consisted of Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, and Ajer.
Crystal Palace came out in a 3-4-2-1, with Mateta leading the line. Eze and Kamada drifted behind him, while Wharton and Hughes covered the centre of the pitch in midfield. Mitchell and Munoz were the wide players tasked with helping a backline of Guehi, Andersen, and Richards.
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Summary
Brentford started in a 4-3-3 in possession and a 4-4-2 midblock out of possession. Palace used a 3-4-2-1 in possession and shifted into a 3-2-5 when in the final third. Crystal Palace used their centrebacks in buildup to find penetrating passes to beat Brentford’s midblock.
In the second half, Thomas Frank slightly adjusted the out of possession formation to a 5-3-2 in order to counter Palace’s front 5. Crystal Palace found success stretching Brentford’s width. They used overloads on the wing to pull Brentford’s defenders out of position, with Pinnock and Collins finding themselves defending on the wing repeatedly.
In possession, Brentford took advantage of Palace’s press by bypassing the front 3 and using the free man in midfield to progress the ball. Wissa ended with the most xGChain for Brentford with 0.83, which goes to show how instrumental he was to help create Brentford’s chances. Although not a traditional striker like Toney or Thiago, Wissa’s linkup play and ability to drop deep to providing a progressive passing option creates chances for Brentford’s wingers.
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It’s all very well to move between 4 and 5 at the back, but without Mee in there, the playing out looks decidedly risky. A few goals already this season from possession errors suggests that some teams have improved their pressing skills, so without real finesse here we will be in trouble.