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Beesotted contributors The Gowler and Paul Kowalczyk (@BeesBreakdown) give us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s win agaisnt Luton Town.

Thomas Frank switched to a 4-3-3 to face Luton town, shifting from the 3-5-2 deployed against Arsenal. The centreback duo consisted of Pinnock and Ben Mee, while Janelt slid in as the left back. Ajer was set the start the match, but an injury in warmups saw Ghoddos replace him as the right back. Onyeka, Nørgaard and Yarmolyuk started as the midfield trio with Jensen missing out to injury. The front three saw Mbeumo, Maupay, and Wissa with Keane Lewis-Potter eager to make an impact off the bench.

Luton Town came out in their typical 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 with Osho, Lockyer, and Mengi on the backline. Bell and Kaboré the wingbacks, with Barkley and Mpanzu the defensive midfielders. Chong and Ogbene the wingers with Morris the lone striker. Rob Edwards side was looking to get another 3 points after their win against Crystal Palace last weekend.

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Quick Stats:

Possession: Brentford 67% – 33% Luton Town

xG: Brentford 3.47 – 0.23 Luton Town

Shots: Brentford 27 – 7 Luton Town

Shots on Target: Brentford 6 – 1 Luton Town

Clearances: Brentford 21 – 39 Luton Town

PPDA: Brentford 4.86 – 30.00 Luton Town

Other Brentford stats:

Interceptions: 7

Aerial duels won: 10 (30%)

Summary

            Brentford, with a strong performance, dominated Luton Town throughout the match. The Bees focused their attacks down the wings to stretch out Luton’s compact defence and pick apart their low block. Maupay scoring early in the second half opened up the match after a slow and timid first half.

Brentford then looked to draw Luton further out and attack the space in-behind. The Bees also utilized set plays to double their lead with a Ben Mee header. A momentary lapse in composure gave Luton a glimmer of hope, but the Bees kept creating havoc in Luton’s penalty area. The Bees capped off their dominating performance with a late goal from Baptiste.

Janelt, again filling in as a left-back, had a brilliant performance, ending with 8 shot creating actions and 0.9 xAG. Super subs, Keane Lewis-Potter and Baptiste finished with the 2nd and 3rd most xG, even with their limited minutes.

The Bees recorded their lowest Passes Per Defensive Actions (PPDA) of the season, suggesting their counterpress was highly effective. Luton Town, on the other hand, rarely applied pressure in Brentford’s half, recording 30.00 PPDA.

Brentford now sit 11th in the Premier League table with a midweek match coming up against Brighton. A tough test after playing a completely different playstyle with Luton’s direct tactics and Brighton’s high possession football.