Brentford 3-3 Liverpool | GW6 | 25/09/21
Brentford have not been in the Premier League for too long, but they have already proven to everyone that they are a team not too underestimate. If the game against Arsenal wasn’t a sign of that, then surely people will start noticing them after a gruelling fight against a Liverpool side that has looked to be back to their best this season.
Entertainment Comes First
I watch every Premier League game that is available to me. Apart from the Arsenal ones, I come as a neutral to them and expect to find entertainment. Games like the West Ham vs Man United game last week, and this game between Brentford and Liverpool is exactly what I’m asking for. Of course the teams are there to win, but there are different methods to achieve this goal. The way Brentford have approached this game and the opening game against Arsenal is something every football fan should be applauding. Not only have they shown that you don’t have to sick back and constantly defend against these teams, but that you can match their intensity going forward and walk away with a desirable result.
I could have easily covered Chelsea vs Man City. The game was much more prestigious and more meaningful for the race for the Premier League title. Too bad it went exactly as I called it - the teams were hesitant to attack and it made for a rather boring affair for the neutrals. I would rather give some of the spotlight for these incredible games that get me on the edge of my seat despite me having no emotional attachment to either club (besides any fantasy football assets I may own in the game).
This was a beautiful game between a title contender and a promoted underdog. It went back and forth with some great moments for both sides. Even the managers put everything aside for a split second and looked at each other in amazement due to how good the game was. This match was great for more reasons than just the scoreline.
Brentford’s Attacking Focus
I touched on it a little above, but the game was as good as it was because of the way Brentford approached it. Sitting back wasn’t an option for them. Whenever they had the chance to attack, they made sure to do it properly and sent forward the necessary men to get them goals. At times I’ve seen up to 5 Brentford players in the Liverpool box during open play. It was great to see, and something that Liverpool don’t come up against too often.
I think there is something to exploit with the fact that these elite teams often don’t have the need to defend because of the way most teams play against them. It sure looked like Liverpool were not prepared at all for Brentford to be putting so many men forward for their attacks.
It sounds obvious, but without all of those men pushing forward, Brentford would have had no chance in this game. I say this mostly because all of the goals they scored were big ball scrambles. The ball had more chance of getting to their feet and as a result, more likely to be put in the back of the net.
The first goal was a pre-planned free-kick routine which exposed Curtis Jones a little bit when the ball was sent over him. Canos hit a low-cross across the goal with 3 Brentford players being in range of striking it home. Toney nudged it a little bit and ended up getting the assist for Pinnock who tapped the ball past Alisson at the back post.
When the second goal went in, they were behind 2-1 and were left chasing the score. Even when behind you see some teams choose to continue sitting back and hope to be able to find a mistake and pounce upon it. Brentford decided to force the mistakes through high pressing intensity and the genuinely go for it. As the second goal went in, there were literally 7 Brentford players in the box ready get a goal at any cost. A cross was poorly dealt with by Trent Alexander-Arnold and the ball struck by Jansson hit a the bar and landed towards Janelt. Van Dijk was too slow to react and Janelt nodded the ball into the back of the net to equalise.
The third was all too similar to the second. Once again Brentford were behind but they kept on pushing and they reaped the rewards. Another back post cross was awfully dealt with by Trent which caused a hectic scrambled in which Brentford got their third goal. Super-sub Wissa calmly dinked Alisson in the heat of the moment to get the draw.
It was fantastic to see Brentford go for it and get rewarded for their effort. I hope that this translates towards more teams being brave against top sides. It would help out football in general because some of the games I get to watch are just not that fun if I’m totally honest. This is coming from a person obsessed with football.
Working Against Complacency
I think a team like Leeds last season, and Brentford so far this season, have benefitted a lot from other teams underestimating them. The managers can say all they want to their players about complacency, but it’s natural for Liverpool players to think they are going to get the favourable result and move on to bigger things midweek when they play Champions League football.
All I had to see was the first few minutes where Salah had an incredible chance to put Liverpool ahead. Salah was through one-on-one and he rather nonchalantly pushed the ball through the keeper’s legs. The ball didn’t have enough power in it so Ajer had just enough time to make a goal-line clearance. Against a better side, I have a feeling Salah would round the keeper and comfortably slot the ball, but the chance came so early that he didn’t think much of it.
What completely destroys my point is that a few minutes later Brentford had a similar chance and Mbeumo went for a very weak chip which was cleared by Matip. I have no reason to explain why Mbeumo failed to score in that position.
Then you had Salah’s one-on-one when Liverpool were leading 3-2. This one was so much worse because of the time he had. He done a cheeky ball roll and rushed his chip over the charging Raya. He overshot it over the bar, and again, I don’t think this happens in a more important game against a bigger club.
Even when it came to his tremendous goal - he didn’t really celebrate it at all because he probably felt like winning is something they should be doing without any problem against Brentford. Yes, he was thinking he was offside, but even when it got confirmed he pretty much just smiled as all the other players swarmed him.
It was strange to see because Salah in general had a decent game. I found him to be the most useful player up front for Liverpool, but he was also the most wasteful. He had plenty of opportunities to score, as did his teammates, due to Brentford pushing forward for goals, but that killer conversion just wasn’t there even though Liverpool did end up scoring 3 goals.
Stand-Out Players
Positives;
David Raya - Kept the goals down to the very minimum. The save against Jota in the first half from the rebound was a particular highlight for him.
Jordan Henderson - Always runs his socks off but with the absence of Keita and Elliott, he had more of an attacking duty to the usual. Great assist for Jota’s goal - perfect cross.
Ethan Pinnock - Done brilliantly in the early stages to shut down Salah and Trent on his side of the pitch. Came up big to score the first goal too but had to be subbed out too early due to an injury. Still a noteworthy performance from him.
Negatives;
Mohamed Salah - Scored a nice goal, but botched many chances that would normally be 100% goals. He’ll be the most gutted with his finishing.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - Surprisingly not as involved in the attack as much as in other games. Perhaps because of the attacking threat that Brentford posed. His inability to deal with crosses costed Liverpool twice in the game.