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

Thomas Frank chose his usual 4-3-3 with Dasilva and Schade in the starting XI. Janelt, Damsgaard, and Wissa waited on the bench. Wolves tried to prevent Brentford from easily progressing the ball, but Brentford were usually able to comfortably play it out of the back.

Wolves came out in their 4-2-3-1 with Costa up top. Nunes and Sarabia were the wide players, while Lemina, Gomes and Cunha were the midfielders. Brentford looked to target Semedo on the right wing, with Mbeumo getting in-behind a few times.

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Quick Stats:

Possession: Wolves 51% – 49% Brentford

xG: Wolves 0.76 – 1.17 Brentford

xGOT: Wolves 2.53 – 1.10 Brentford

Shots: Wolves 11 – 10 Brentford

Clearances: Wolves 20 – 13 Brentford

Other Brentford stats:

Interceptions: 13

Aerial duels won: 20 (65%)

Summary

Wolves were very physical with Toney, as are most teams, which seems to be the only way to really stop him. Brentford did well winning 65% of aerial duels, but Toney was 0/1. Brentford occasionally found some success with Mbeumo down the wing and Toney at the top of the box, but these chances were scarce.

Hickey quietly had a great game, leading the team with the most progressive passes and passes into the final third. Hickey was comfortable on the ball and connected on 4/4 long passes. Hickey helped Brentford build out of the back in tight areas and progress the ball.

Brentford only gave up 0.76 xG, but Wolves put 9 out of 11 shots on target. Wolves expected goals on target (xGOT) was phenomenal with 2.53. They made the most of their chances and gave Raya a busy day at the back.

Brentford switched to somewhat of a 3-4-3 in possession toward the end of the match. They have done this multiple times this season when chasing a goal or two. Brentford created 0.31 xG in the last 10 minutes of the match, with a dangerous Nørgaard header and Toney hitting the woodwork. Still, Brentford were unable to put much together for most of the match.

A rough run of form for Brentford results in 2 points out of the last 5 matches. Brentford’s fixtures don’t get easier as they face Aston Villa next and then Chelsea. Brentford’s dream of European football is essentially over after this last result. Brentford will still want to focus on getting as many points as possible out of the remaining 7 fixtures, but with Brentford safe from relegation it will be interesting to see any tactical changes Thomas Frank cooks up.