Analysis: Brentford's Premier League season so far

The current international break offers stattos (like those at Playmaker) a perfect opportunity to pore over the numbers and data so far this season - and there are plenty of positives to draw for Brentford fans.

Already known around Europe for their innovative approach to recruitment and tactics, the Bees have recently gained further renown at home and abroad for their incredible scoring streak at the beginning of Premier League games this season, whilst also ranking highly across a raft of other top-flight statistics.

Despite the absence of long-term casualties such as Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry, and the sale of Ivan Toney this summer, Brentford have made an impressive start to the 2024/25 campaign and Playmaker are here to tell you all about it!

Without further ado, let's kick off with a look at the Bees' record-breaking kick-offs...

Firestarters

When Yoane Wissa nodded Brentford in front at the Etihad Stadium back in mid-September, there was a collective gasp - at least from those who had taken their seats - at the breathtaking speed of the Bees' strike.

A cross from the right was recycled into the box and there was the DR Congo striker to head past Ederson just 22 seconds after kick-off.

Two goals from Erling Haaland eventually saw the Bees leave Manchester empty-handed - but Thomas Frank's side proved their fast start against the Cityzens was no fluke, with another quick-fire strike in their next league outing against Tottenham.

A mere 23 seconds had elapsed when Bryan Mbeumo buried his Goal of the Month contender at Spurs, and the Cameroon international was at it again the following week when he volleyed home expertly to give Brentford the lead 36 seconds into their home match with West Ham.

As West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek commented afterwards: "We have to be embarrassed. We saw how they scored those two goals [in successive games] and they did it against us. We all prepared very well for it, and we still conceded."

Three games, three goals inside 60 seconds, and a Premier League record secured: the Bees became the first team to score in the opening minute of three consecutive fixtures in the competition's history.

To give a little perspective regarding how astonishing a feat this was, the last team to score in the first minute of three fixtures in a Premier League season - yet alone three games in succession - was Everton all the way back in 1998/99.

While the run of the ball has no doubt favoured Brentford during their unprecedented scoring streak, there have undeniably been lashings of method underpinning their early goal madness.

The Bees' efficiency and prowess from dead-ball situations is no secret, and head coach Frank has not downplayed the planning and specialism which have laid the foundations for a splurge of early goals.

“[Kick-off] is one of the more difficult to score from, but we see it as a set-play situation we can set up and control as much as possible,” said Frank after the Spurs game - and there are clear principles underlying Brentford's purple patch.

Although set-piece coach Keith Andrews will want to keep its intricacies under his hat, the Bees' approach when the first whistle blows focuses on playing forward quickly, winning second balls and targeting good areas - and the west Londoners lead a host of stats related to these skill sets this season.

Knowing when and how to play direct is a strength of this Brentford side and they currently rank second in the Premier League for accurate long balls, with goalkeeper Mark Flekken pinging more successful long passes (94) than any player in the division so far this season.

As was evident in the manner Brentford won back the ball prior to Mbeumo's lightning strike against West Ham, Frank's men are also drilled to attack areas that give them the best possible chance of winning second balls - just as Fábio Carvalho did against the Hammers when he darted into the box off the left wing to set up Mbeumo. It is no surprise, therefore, that only one team in the top flight (Bournemouth - 29) have won more tackles in the attacking third of the pitch this season than the Bees (27).

Perhaps even more striking are the Bees' stats relating to high-quality chance creation. Brentford currently have the best xG per shot (0.17) in the Premier League and no team in the division, on average, shoots from closer to goal than the Bees (14.8 yards).

A whopping 51 per cent of the Bees' shots this season have hit the target and, while this league-leading stat may be difficult to sustain over an entire season, the bottom line at this moment in time is that Brentford are excellent at carving out clear chances and taking them.

It should be noted that when Brentford's incredible first-minute goal spree came to an end, they still managed to score after 76 seconds against Wolves!

Standards have been set and Erik ten Hag and his staff are no doubt watching as much tape as possible prior to the Bees' visit to Old Trafford to play Manchester United on 19 November, in both clubs' first match back after the current hiatus.

Standout performers

Brentford's positive start to the 2024/25 campaign has been powered by some consistently strong performers.

Whether they have been scoring within the opening seconds or keeping the opposition at bay, this cast of dependables have been instrumental thus far in 2024/25 and are likely to lead the way when the domestic football calendar resumes.

Given his electric starts this season, where better to begin than with Bryan Mbeumo?

The Cameroon international has enjoyed an outstanding start to the season and scored six Premier League goals so far, with only one player (Erling Haaland on 10 of course) bagging more.

The 25-year-old has shown some superb finishing skills with his trusty left foot to chalk up his half-dozen. Mbeumo's six strikes have come from just 16 shots in total, of which nine were on target; six players may have had more shots on target but only one has more goals than the Brentford man.

Indeed, Mbeumo's efficiency is evident in the xG figures. The forward has scored his six from a total xG of 2.97 meaning he is over-performing by +3.06 xG. Again, only one man tops the charts here and it's Haaland with +3.88 xG.

And of course, no player has more Premier League goal involvements for Brentford now than Mbeumo. Ivan Toney had 47 (36 goals, 11 assists) - but he is now second behind Mbeumo's 49 in total (28 goals and 21 assists).

While we could wax lyrical about Mbeumo all day, we do want to focus on some players in other areas of the pitch.

One of those is Nathan Collins, another of the Brentford players to score very early on - the second-minute opener in the 5-3 win over Wolves before the international break.

But it's his defensive work that has stood out the most. No other player in the Premier League has blocked as many shots as Collins (17).

The Irish international has also made 28 clearances (ranking him 17th in the league behind his team-mate Ethan Pinnock on 33). Collins is also in the top 20 top-flight players for aerial duels won, with 16 in total. In case you were curious, Pinnock has won 19.

In midfield, Mikkel Damsgaard has been a revelation. The 24-year-old has made 19 tackles so far this season, ranking him in the top 20 players of the Premier League. The Dane has also blocked 12 passes, with only Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister having topped that (17).

Lest we forget, Damsgaard has also helped his team going forward with 12 key passes so far this season (Mbeumo is the only Brentford player to make more with 14) and chipped in with a pair of assists. In Gameweek 7, only Bukayo Saka (7) completed more key passes than Damsgaard (6), and the Dane's energy and creativity have been influential for the Bees thus far in 2024/25.

Overall, this bright Brentford start has been a team effort from Frank's side. Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has made 33 saves, ranking joint top in the Premier League alongside Leicester City's Mads Hermansen, as well as leading the division for accurate long passes, as mentioned.

The fact Flekken has had to make 10 saves from shots taken from outside the box (four more than Hermansen) shows that the Bees' defence is doing a fantastic job of protecting their keeper.

The club's recruitment last summer has also paid off with their two arrivals from Liverpool, Sepp van den Berg and Carvalho, settling in nicely - the latter getting off the mark in the league in that big win over Wolves last time out.

That Carvalho goal was in the 90th minute, and scoring early and late is a very nice habit to have as Brentford look to move further up the table after the current international break.

Guardiola: Frank is one of the best

Let's finish with a word or two on Brentford's adaptability and the tactical acumen of the man in the dugout.

If Pep Guardiola sings your praises you know you are on to a good thing and, after Brentford's visit to the Etihad this season, the Manchester City boss spoke warmly about his counterpart.

"They are an extraordinary team," said Guardiola, in relation to the Bees. "What they do always makes sense.

"I'm good in a few things, one of which is reading when the manager is good... Thomas is one of the best."

In that interview, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich supremo drew attention to Brentford's high press and the Bees' ability to switch between intensely pressuring opponents in their own half and a more counter-attacking style using a low block has been impressive.

Across Brentford's seven Premier League games so far this season, Frank has deployed four different formations. The Bees have primarily been set up in either a 4-3-3 or a 5-3-2, but their in-game flexibility has also enabled them to shift into either a 4-2-3-1 or a more traditional 4-4-2 when required.

The Bees' Danish head coach has spoken about his desire to keep "adding layers" to Brentford's style of play, and this season's clash against City showcased compelling evidence that the Bees can nowadays dominate games more, even against the best sides in the Premier League.

Unlucky not to be 2-0 or even 3-0 up after Yoane Wissa had headed Brentford in front, it was notable how the Bees - even against a City side famed for hogging the ball - were able to exert more control in possession.

"The first 25 minutes we were close to world-class… not many teams come here and have more possession, shots on target, xG," Frank stated afterwards, and the stats backed him up.

Perhaps the most eye-catching numbers from the game saw Ethan Pinnock finish the game with more accurate passes (68) than any player on the pitch.

As Playmaker highlighted in our post-match analysis, this was a staggering statistic. In fact, over the past two seasons, in all competitions, only one other team (Tottenham) has finished a clash against the current English champions with the game's top passer in their ranks, rather than City's.

The Bees' high-pressing style that characterised the opening exchanges at the Etihad and which saw the Bees force error after error on their way to a comfortable 3-1 win over Southampton is often traded for a more deep-lying approach.

Tellingly, no team in the Premier League this season has taken more touches in their own defensive penalty area (694) and in their own defensive third (1776) than Brentford, and the west Londoners have the capacity to invite teams on with a view to launching fast attacks of their own.

Frank and his team will look to use the current break to fine-tune their strengths and address any weaknesses, but the Bees have made an encouraging start to the 2024/25 season.

A positive result at Old Trafford when hostilities resume would put them where they want to be: in the top half of the Premier League.