When Brentford drives south to visit Brighton and Hove Albion at the AMEX stadium, it will be for a game of great importance. Both clubs are on the same points, but Brighton is ahead on goal difference; this game is massive for the two sides and their hunt for European football.
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Buzzing Bee's
Brentford has changed their shape into a 4-3-3 as opposed to a three at the back which Thomas Frank used last year. Ivan Toney will lead the line and Bryan Mbuemo and Yoanne Wissa will play on the wings. Both the wingers play quite centrally as inverted wingers and like to be in and around the width of the centre circle.
During an elongated period of possession, it is quite a conventional front three where they occupy most of the back four. Frank then has two of the centre midfielders who will be very high and play just behind the attackers. This means that they can play quick, fluid football which makes them far more effective and efficient when on the ball they can have the attackers higher up. Then, the midfielders can help recycle the ball and keep the pressure on to stop opposition players.
Another reason that Brentford is so high up in the table is their effectiveness on the counter-attack. When defending, Toney tends to drop into the midfield areas to get more touches on the ball and Wissa and Mbuemo come more central to play almost as strikers.
This means that if Brentford wins the ball back it will be very easy to get up the pitch in one or two passes and then create chances that way. When teams attack, they tend to send their full-backs up which then leaves the two centre-backs isolated against the pace of Wissa and Mbuemo. Both players can regularly get on the end of long balls and then find themselves one-on-one with the keeper.
This threat will be extremely important for Brentford as Brighton will keep hold of the ball for large proportions of the game. The ruthless nature of Brentford’s attack will be a challenge for the centre-back pairing of Dunk and Webster. The Seagulls' central defenders are not the most mobile in the league and will be vulnerable to the pace of Mbuemo and Wissa; who are both technically talented and one of the big reasons why the Bees are where they are in the league.
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Albion in attack
However, Brighton and Hove Albion are going to be no simple task. They have been one of the best sides in the league this year and under Roberto De Zerbi have played some of the best football seen across the table this season.
However, playing football against Thomas Frank’s Brentford is no easy task as they are very strong at the back and execute the low block very well. Brighton found this out when they went to the GTECH Community Stadium, where Brentford had just 28% possession across the game.
But, two Brentford counter attacks meant they kept the three points in a 2-0 win. Since then, however, De Zerbi has gotten used to his squad and implemented his style and now Brighton is more than capable of beating the low block of Brentford.
The newfound confidence of players like Kauro Mitoma and Solly March has meant Brighton is far more dynamic in attack. The wingers will come inside and sit slightly more centrally and then look to drive at Brentford’s full-backs. Their excellent one-vs-one ability and movement will provide a real problem for Brentford’s back line.
When Mitoma is on the ball, March will look to make a diagonal down the blindside of the left centre-back (most likely to be Ben Mee) and due to Brentford playing deep, the space for March to run into will be very limited.
However, this run opens up space for Joel Veltman at right-back as Rico Henry will follow March’s run meaning the Dutchman will have acres of space on the right-hand side and will be able to put in a cross for Mitoma, Evan Fergurson or even Alexis Mac Allister.
Even the centre-backs of Brighton will help them attack, as De Zerbi likes his backline to put their foot on the ball and invite the press. The fast-paced passing ability of Brighton’s midfield and defence means they can beat the press and move into the attacking phases of their play very quickly.
Ultimately, this means their dangerous attacking quartet of Ferguson, Mac Allister, Mitoma and March can go four on four against Brentford’s backline. This will allow them to create overloads and use their creative prowess to create chances.
Solly March has been in fine form for the Seagulls so far this season and has hit new heights under De Zerbi. His ability to drive forwards will be invaluable for Brighton, as he is incredibly tactically versatile, able to pick the ball up from the midfield, and can accelerate attacks to create chances. March has also recently developed a very uncanny knack for finding spaces at the back post to score goals.
This is a very similar skillset to Kauro Mitoma who is third on the list for progressive yards carried per 90 for teams outside the traditional big six. The pair could be the deciders in this tie due to their ability to create goalscoring opportunities.
A big part of De Zerbi's attacking game plan will be the one-on-one threat that Mitoma provides. The Japanese winger opens up both the inside and outside of the full-back and could be Brighton’s not-so-secret weapon in their task to defeat Brentford.
By opening both the inside and outside, Mitoma can get to the goal line to put in a cross or cut inside and have a shot on goal. Both are very tricky decisions which Aaron Hickey will have to answer on Saturday, as Mitoma has almost doubled his expected goals so far this season. With March, Fergurson and Mac Allister lining up in the middle allowing Mitoma to get a cross in is not something Hickey will want to do.