Brentford Were Tipped For Relegation. Now They Are Aiming For Europe

Seventh place, conscionable a fewer points down Liverpool and Chelsea pinch 9 games to play – not bad for a broadside that was condemned to relegation successful galore pre-season predictions. Brentford person not conscionable defied nan naysayers; they are connected nan brink of creating nine history too. European qualification beckons for nan first clip successful their 137-year history and, pinch 44 points aft 29 games, Keith Andrews’ broadside are connected people to hit their erstwhile grounds of 55 successful a top-flight season. Brentford are challenging clubs pinch costs bills 4 times larger than their own.

It is easy to hide conscionable really singular an accomplishment this is for a broadside erstwhile mocked arsenic “a autobus extremity successful Hounslow” by their section rivals. They mislaid 4 of their champion and astir knowledgeable players past summer, pinch Christian Nørgaard joining Arsenal, Yoane Wissa signing for Newcastle, Bryan Mbeumo leaving for Manchester United and Mark Flekken moving to Bayer Leverkusen for a mixed £146m. They were each basal to Brentford past season: Nørgaard was nan nine captain; Wissa and Mbeumo scored 39 convention goals betwixt them (59% of nan team’s total), and Flekken made 133 saves – 25 much than immoderate different keeper successful nan league.

Players travel and go, however, and Brentford person often proved tin of adapting. They look to suffer their apical scorer each summer, pinch Neal Maupay, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Wissa and Mbeumo each leaving successful caller years. The existent gut punch came erstwhile Thomas Frank, nan head who guided them to nan apical formation for nan first clip since nan 1946-47 season, departed for Tottenham.

Brentford became a coagulated Premier League nine nether Frank, finishing 13th, ninth, 16th and 10th contempt trading a number of important players. He was replaced by Keith Andrews, a young set-piece coach pinch nary erstwhile managerial acquisition astir apt champion known for his punditry work.

And yet present we are. Brentford are not looking complete their shoulders astatine nan relegation places but gazing up nan array arsenic they pursuit down Liverpool and Chelsea – nan reigning Premier League champions and nan Club World Cup winners respectively. A batch of their occurrence has been attributed to nan continuity achieved nether their proprietor Matthew Benham. While this is mostly fair, it shouldn’t return distant from nan activity Andrews has done.

He has maintained nan civilization and playing accuracy established during his predecessor’s reign. We still spot nan aforesaid intense, hardworking squad that is designed to unsettle opponents; they activity relentlessly disconnected nan ball, take sides arsenic a compact unit, and onslaught quickly and directly. Brentford rank apical successful nan convention for agelong passes, 13th for possession, and first for xG per changeable – each statistic successful which they classed likewise past season.

But they person taken a leap guardant successful their counterattacking nether Andrews. They rank joint-first pinch Manchester City for goals scored from accelerated breaks (nine). Under Frank, they classed 11th for goals from accelerated breaks. Regis Le Bris summed up their style aft he watched his Sunderland squad suffer 3-0 astatine Brentford successful January, saying: “They are strong, nonstop and relentless.”

Most of their attacks travel done Igor Thiago, whose strength, work-rate and beingness up beforehand make him a nightmare for defenders. His 18 goals this play – second to Erling Haaland successful nan league – only hint astatine nan havoc he wreaks. More than a poacher, Thiago is nan heartbeat of Brentford’s nonstop approach.

Keith Andrews has taken Brentford to moreover greater heights this play aft nan departure of Thomas Frank. Photograph: Dave Shopland/AP

“He’s been sensational,” said Andrews earlier this year. “It’s not conscionable nan goals; it’s his wide capacity and nan selfless measurement he plays ⁠the game. He’s not a centre-forward who conscionable stays betwixt 2 centre-backs and looks to poach goals. He’s all-action. He leads nan line, runs nan channels, presses back, and is astonishing from group ⁠pieces. He’s a complete centre-forward.”

Andrews has praised nan club’s scouts for uncovering Thiago, who signed from Club Brugge aft spells pinch Ludogorets successful Bulgaria and Cruzeiro successful his autochthonal Brazil. They recovered a gem. At 6ft 3in he bullies defenders, drops heavy to nexus play and finishes pinch clinically, boasting 1 of nan champion changeable conversion rates (26.9%) successful nan convention this season. To put that successful discourse he has scored 18 goals from 67 shots whereas his countryman, Matheus Cunha, has six goals from 68 shots.

As good arsenic moving difficult and having a lethal finisher up front, Brentford person shown grit, particularly successful caller weeks arsenic they person deed a unsmooth spot of form. They threw distant a three-goal lead against Burnley astatine Turf Moor a fortnight agone but won nan crippled 4-3 acknowledgment to a 93rd-minute goal from Mikkel Damsgaard. They had been slack successful nan 2nd and were fortunate to triumph but, typically, Andrews saw nan positives: “It was an invaluable learning acquisition for america each and nan champion point astir it was we won nan game,” he said.

The much concerning capacity came against Bournemouth, wherever Andrews’ post-Burnley optimism abruptly seemed little warranted. Brentford had conscionable 2 shots connected target, nan first coming successful nan 72nd minute, successful an uncharacteristically blunt display. They were lifeless successful nan first half, pinch an xG of 0.05 – their lowest first-half full of nan season. Bournemouth squandered a fewer bully chances – Eli Junior Kroupi’s goal-bound effort was deflected wide successful stoppage clip and Ryan Christie mislaid power of nan shot aft rounding nan Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher – and nan Bees held connected for a goalless draw.

Importantly, Brentford emerged from these 2 games undefeated. They could easy person mislaid some but made it to nan last whistle pinch determination and togetherness. Andrews’ comments aft Brentford’s 1-0 triumph against Aston Villa successful January consciousness conscionable arsenic applicable now: “The tone of nan group and nan grit of nan group didn’t astonishment maine successful nan slightest – their togetherness and nan desire to yet conflict for each other.”

If you needed further impervious of this group’s desire, Brentford person scored 15 goals successful nan past 15 minutes of matches successful nan convention this play – 2nd only to Liverpool (17). If they proceed to show their togetherness and rediscover immoderate of their spark, this could beryllium a very typical play for nan club. Andrews and Brentford person 9 games to create history and complete 1 of nan Premier League’s astir awesome underdog stories.

This is an article by WhoScored