It is just as well that performances take precedence over results for Matthew Benham’s analytics-driven Brentford, because against Aston Villa they yet again produced a display deserving probably of a better outcome than they achieved.
Byultiple metrics, Brentford are having a good season, but it is equally undeniable that at the moment they are going through a miserable period on their own ground, without a win of any kind for over three months now.
In seven home matches in the Premier League since overcoming Newcastle United 4-2 on December 7th, the Bees have been beaten five times and drawn twice. Add in their FA Cup defeat by Plymouth Argyle and it is eight games in all competitions with no victory.
That is Brentford’s worst sequence so far at their new stadium. In fact, in the league, it is their longest run without a home win for 19 years – since a series of nine matches in League One in 2006, when they were still playing at Griffin Park.
And, after having scored in every home encounter this season before the present poor patch started, Brentford have been kept goalless in five of these last eight games on their own West London turf beside the River Thames.
Nor have the Bees been able to secure a clean sheet during this time. A problem at home throughout this campaign, it has been exacerbated lately by needing to use five different defensive line-ups in those eight matches, with 11 players filling the back four positions and in goal.
Nevertheless, Brentford have remained brave, still fielding a front three plus a playmaking number 10 in Mikkel Damsgaard, making their formation more of a 4-2-1-3 than the standard 4-2-3-1 employed by most teams in the Premier League.
Although it has not been as effective at home over the past 13 weeks as they would wish, that is also due to opponents showing Brentford huge respect now, coming to play a mid or low block in defence and then counter-attacking – in the approach long favoured by the Bees.
This is among several recurring features characterising the recent run, as Brentford have found it hard to unlock stubborn back lines set deeper, while playing against good quality sides with effective finishers who repeatedly exploit any minor lapses.
Brentford themselves have seen plenty of possession, moved the ball well, put over numerous dangerous crosses and created chances to score without producing many clear-cut openings, and also failing to exploit set-pieces as frequently as they did before.
