Brentford have been a team who have turned a lot of eyeballs this season with some brilliant performances against top teams since their promotion to the Premier League. They started their Premier League campaign with a bang as they produced a shocking result, beating Arsenal 2-0. Their most recent success has been against West Ham United, as they beat their London rivals away from home to move to the top half of the table. Brentford have only lost one game from the seven they have played so far.
They have had a number of players who have impressed, but their summer signing Yoane Wissa has made quite the impact since his arrival at Brentford from Lorient in August. Wissa, who got a late equaliser against Liverpool eight days ago, drove in a powerful shot against Hammers which was almost the last kick of the game, to secure all three points. His winner at West Ham made it five goals in six games in all competitions. Four of those appearances coming off the bench, meaning the outstanding strike duo of Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo have genuine competition behind them. We are going to look at his stats.
Yoane Wissa has been involved in four matches out of the seven played by Brentford in the Premier League. The striker has played for 81 minutes and already has two important goals to his name. The 25-year-old has attempted three shots and has taken four touches inside the opposition box. Wissa averages one dribble every game and has also helped the team defensively by completing four recoveries.
Playing only 81 minutes in the Premier League and scoring two goals in the limited time he has received on the pitch, Wissa has recorded a very high xG per 90 of 2.22. Only Jesse Lingard has had a better xG per 90 than him, playing in a similar super-sub role for Manchester United. Apart from the Premier League, Wissa has been highly involved in the league cup games Brentford has played so far, he has scored three goals in the two cup matches he has played so far.
Wissa has attempted three shots on goal, with all three shots coming from inside the box. The striker is ever-present in the opposition penalty area and has showcased that he possesses a poacher’s instinct and always happens to be at the right place at the right time. It’s as if he knows where the ball is going to fall and anticipates his positioning accordingly. Both goals Wissa has scored so far, have been because of his pure instinctive nature.
The striker has always been subbed off in a game for the last fifteen odd minutes and does not get a chance to involve himself in the build-up towards creating goalscoring opportunities. The instructions he receives from his boss are to stay in the final third of the pitch and to receive the ball there. But we can see that from the limited passes Yoane Wissa has attempted in the final third, most of them have a high expected threat.
The above stats indicate that despite getting limited minutes on the pitch, Yoane Wissa has performed brilliantly and most of his numbers are better than the average value in the Premier League.
Wissa has been Thomas Frank’s secret weapon when he is in search for a positive result as he has always subbed on the striker when Brentford are in a position where they might lose out on all three points. It was another incredible moment for Wissa and Brentford, who are yet to taste an away defeat in the Premier League. Mbeumo and Toney were brilliant against West Ham, Mbuemo scored their first goal while Toney played a crucial part in that goal and was a threat throughout. It will be a tough decision for Thomas Frank to select his line up for their next against Chelsea, with all his strikers in top form.
