Beesotted contributors The Gowler and Paul Kowalczyk (@BeesBreakdown) give us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s loss against Newcastle.
Thomas Frank expectedly switched to a 5-3-2 to face Newcastle. This meant Schade would go to the bench, while Collins moved back into the starting XI. Brentford’s backline consisted of Henry, Mee, Pinnock, Collins, and Hickey. The usual suspects in the midfield, with Janelt, Nørgaard, and Jensen. Mbeumo and Wissa led the line for the Bees as they had a difficult challenge ahead at St. James Park.
Eddie Howe made many changes to his starting XI from the team that played Brighton at the beginning of September. Still using a 4-3-3, the back four consisted of Burn, Botman, Schar and Trippier. A bit of rotation in the midfield saw Longstaff and Anderson get the start alongside Guimaraes. The front three comprised of Gordan, Wilson, and Barnes.
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Quick Stats:
Possession: Newcastle 56% – 44% Brentford
xG: Newcastle 1.44 – 0.50 Brentford
xGOT: Newcastle 1.03 – 0.63 Brentford
Shots: Newcastle 9 – 11 Brentford
Shots on Target: Newcastle 2 – 2 Brentford
Clearances: Newcastle 19 – 28 Brentford
Other Brentford stats:
Interceptions: 9
Aerial duels won: 20 (47%)
Summary
           At first glance, the xG makes it look like Newcastle dominated Brentford, but when looking at non-penalty xG it was much closer with Newcastle only having 0.6 npxG. Overall, Brentford did a good job shutting Newcastle down without dropping into their low-block as much as some would think.
Brentford struggled to create chances of their own, which started with having difficulty advancing the ball. Newcastle’s high press caused Brentford trouble when in possession. The Bees also struggled to win aerial duels, making it more difficult to get into the final third.
Part of Brentford’s difficulty going forward can be attributed to Rico Henry leaving the match with a serious injury. Rico Henry will miss the remainder of the season, which leaves a giant hole in Thomas Frank’s usual tactics. In possession, Rico is used as an extra winger, moving the actual left winger into the half-space. Rico is an outlet for long balls in-behind from Flekken, Ben Mee, and Jensen.
Hickey, the potential backup, is a fantastic player but does not possess the same attributes as Henry. Hickey is commonly used in a deeper position rather than advancing forward, and when he does advance forward he’s used for quick combination play towards the centre of the pitch.
Much was discussed about Flekken’s distribution, with a poor passing percentage, but most of this boils down to tactics. Flekken’s long passes were aimed toward the intersection of the half-way line and touchline, trying to bypass Newcastle’s press. This occasionally worked, resulting in throw-ins, but was far too inconsistent to create enough chances going forward.
Brentford typically take advantage of set plays in matches like these, but those were far and few between. Corner kicks and free-kicks resulted in bland routines that failed to get players unmarked.
The late tactical adjustments provided Brentford’s best opportunities of the match, but the Bees still couldn’t find the end product. Shifting to 5 at the front, Brentford forced Newcastle into a low block and found ways to get players on the ball in the box. Unfortunately, Brentford were unable to take advantage of these situations.
Brentford return to the GTech on Saturday to face Everton, which will see a switch of tactics and more possession based football. Follow us on twitter to check out our match preview later this week.
