How Andrews has brought about Brentford’s tactical evolution

Keith Andrews took over at Brentford this summer after years of success under Thomas Frank.

Few expected the Bees to continue their form this season, especially with the departures of Christian Norgaard and Bryan Mbeumo, who finished 10th last term.

The Bees’ home record, which was helped by victories against Manchester United and Aston Villa, is joint-fourth best in the top flight, but their 3-2 victory over Premier League champions Liverpool placed them 11th.

More goals have been scored than the 14 goals Brentford have in nine games, only to be scored at Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Bournemouth.

Igor Thiago is now the joint-second highest scorer in the division behind Erling Haaland with six of those scored.

The former Republic of Ireland midfielder has overseen a tactical shift as opposed to a revolution.

He prefers to maximize the talent in his squad over imposing his own coaching philosophy, and he has made a number of adjustments that he hopes will help improve Frank’s success.

The 45-year-old said, “The one thing we have is individual brilliance.”

“I believe the squad has those qualities,” she said. That is reflected in the players’ environment, the support they receive, and the training regimen, which emphasizes the development of players’ individual traits.

Given that he was the set-piece coach for Brentford before, his team was expecting more from them as a tactic than ever, but goals from that team’s source are at their lowest level since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2021.

After Manchester City won 1-0 at Gtech Community Stadium last month, match winner Haaland said: “It was a tough game, and reminded me of Stoke City with Rory Delap 15 years ago,” that is not to say that Michael Kayode’s long throws are not a powerful weapon.

Andrews’ side has been hitting opponents on the break, with the average fast break rate more than double what it was under Frank.

And they already have four league goals from the counter-attack that have been at the same level last year.

Last year, Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, and Kevin Schade combined scored 50 goals, and there are some encouraging indications that their new style may be very successful.

Dango Ouattara, Thiago, and Schade all scored in the first-ever identical game against Liverpool on Saturday.

Fans hope that Thiago will follow in the footsteps of the prolific Ivan Toney, Mbeumo, and Wissa after his first season at the club was ruined by injury.

His heart is incredibly large. His spirit, his bravery, the hardships he endured as a result of his injury last year, his adjustment to a new culture and nation, “he said.”

“I believe what he received here was genuine support and faith in him,” he said. He really got into this club as a person.

I practically talk about his game and how we can make him better every day. He’s a nightmare to play against, and that’s how he plays the game with such fervor. Sometimes you have to temporarily calm him down. We anticipated him to be a key player for us, which he is.