Brentford started their first season in the English Premier League with a win over Arsenal. The Bees continued their good run and earned 12 points in the first seven games. This included three wins, three draws, and one loss. However, there has been a recent slump in form, and the Bees have lost their previous four matches. Their home form is a concern, and the team has managed to collect just four points in six home games.
Brentford have been a very attacking side, and their xG rate is 18.24 in the season. The Bees have scored 13 goals in 11 games. One of the major concerns in their recent form was the number of goals scored. Brentford played two of the bottom-ranked teams Burnley and Norwich City. They created a combined xG rate of 6.97 in the four games but scored only three goals. The average xG rate of these four matches was more than their actual average xG rate of the season. The Bees attempted 70 shots in the first seven games and averaged ten shots per match. Their shots tally in the last four matches was 53 and the average shots per match were 13. Thomas Frank’s men have not been clinical with their finishing and have struggled to find the back of the net.
The above chart displays the defensive duels contested by Brentford players in the game against Burnley. The Bees conceded three goals and the opponents created an xG rate of 2.27. Brentford contested 78 defensive duels and had a 53.8% win rate. Their overall defensive duels win rate has been 62%. Against Burnley, the players won 53% of the defensive duels in the defensive third, 60.6% in the middle third and only 10% in the attacking third.
In the same game against Burnley, they created little threat from the middle. The players attempted 20 passes into the opposition’s penalty area and had a 40% success rate. The possession was 61%, but the match tempo was lower than the opposition’s match tempo.
Watford understood they needed to add attacking reinforcements this summer, if they were to have a realistic chance of staying in the Premier League. The Bees created a lot of goal-scoring opportunities in the four matches played. They have been an attacking side throughout the season and didn’t back off in any of the matches. Scoring goals has been a concern for the manager. The team only managed to score three goals and lag in the expected goal rate to a goal-scored ratio. A total of ten players have been on the scoresheet for the promoted team, and there is no consistent goalscorer in the team. The manager will expect his side to return to the form that was at the start of the season when they face a struggling Newcastle United side after the international break.
