Match Preview: Brentford v Arsenal, August 13th, 2021

Friday 13th August, 2021 Brentford Community Stadium Kick Off: UK – 8PM – Live on Sky Sports Referee: Michael Oliver

The 2021/22 Premier League season is kicking off this Friday with Arsenal set to face Brentford at the recently built Brentford Community Stadium. Newly promoted hosts Brentford will play their first game in the top flight since 1947, becoming the 50th different team to play in the Premier League era. Visitors Arsenal, on the other hand, will be looking for an opening day victory, which they have achieved for the past two seasons. This is the fourth time that Arsenal will be involved in the curtain raiser for a Premier League campaign, and they have kicked off the season with a win on all three previous occasions.

London derbies are always fiercely contested affairs, and this is the first league fixture between these two clubs since May 1947, so a Friday night game under the lights is bound to see sparks flying from the off. The two sides have the highest win percentage in top flight London derbies, with Arsenal winning 47% and Brentford 43%, although the West London side have only played in 28!

A big season ahead for Arteta’s Arsenal…

For another year running, the pressure is well and truly on for Arsenal. Two back to back 8th placed finishes simply aren’t good enough for the club whilst its rivals continue to improve. Arsenal’s real issue has been consistency, they are simply too unpredictable. The Gunners have played some fabulous football and defended expertly at times in the past year, only to let themselves down in fixtures just a few days apart with simple errors against poor sides. Arteta’s side has tended to actually perform better in bigger games with many examples of this in the past season, beating Chelsea home and away, Spurs at home, Leicester away and securing a victory at Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years. However, a defeat at home to Burnley as well as defeats home and away to Aston Villa, Everton and Wolves helps explain the doubts many fans have. As well as consistency issues, another concern of mine is the sheer lack of firepower this team possessed last season. Arsenal’s attack lacked a great goalscorer as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang faced his toughest season in English football yet and the quartet of attacking players seemed to be rotated non stop throughout the season, as if Arteta couldn’t seem to find any standout performers who executed his vision outside of Bukayo Saka and later Emile Smith Rowe. This is an ongoing issue at the club as the new season approaches, with Arsenal yet to sign an attacking player whilst on loan Martin Ødegaard has returned to Real Madrid. Arsenal need to find a real attacking potency this season to ensure that they win games against sides like Brentford, mounting a climb up the table into a top 6 position at the very least.

However, there are some positive signs to show both of these issues are disappearing, the first of which being Arsenal’s end of season form from 20/21. The Gunners cruised to five wins on the bounce at the end of the last campaign, scoring eleven goals and conceding just two. These games took place once Arsenal were eliminated from the Europa league by eventual winners Villarreal, meaning the players were fully rested in between games giving a glimpse into how Arteta’s team may perform with one game a week, after no European football was secured for the upcoming season. Another positive sign ahead of Friday’s derby are the performances of club record signing Nicolas Pepe as the curtain closed last year, the Ivorian winger scored five goals in the final five games and Arteta spoke fondly of him, confirming his importance in the future. Pepe has continued this good form into pre-season, making a positive impact in games and getting a lot of minutes from the manager, providing a vote of confidence to a player who reacts well to that sort of treatment. At times Pepe’s game has seemed to be lacking in so many areas but his electric feet and precise finishing combined with an improved strength on the ball and plenty of preparation makes for an exciting prospect, his game is coming together. A final positive for Arsenal’s trip to West London on Friday night is the availability of new CB Ben White, who was acquired from Brighton for £50M. White is the perfect defender for a high line which Mikel Arteta has utilised in pre season, with his excellent reading of the game and recovery pace. White has great defensive instincts and has improved in every season he has played so far. The 23 year old is well known for his excellent long and short distribution of the ball which will hopefully assist Arsenal in replacing the asset of former CB David Luiz’s passing. White’s game contains one main deficiency, that being his aerial ability, in the 2020/21 season White’s success rate in aerial duels was just 49.5%. However, this will certainly improve when White moves to a back four and he will also improve with time in this regard.

Are Brentford capable of upsetting the Gunners?

Thomas Frank’s Brentford are a resilient bunch, the club has seen disappointment and heartache in their quest for a place in the Premier League for several years now but that has proved no deterrent, as the club finally saw themselves back into the big time in May, in the Championship Play Off Final at Wembley. The club has been run in an incredibly sustainable way ever since Matthew Benham took ownership in 2012. Benham, a lifelong fan of The Bees, has spent over £90 Million on the clubs infrastructure, financing the club with an initial payment to save them from extinction altogether. The club has made a number of tough decisions throughout his tenure as owner, the most controversial of which being the scrapping of the academy in 2016 to move to a system of relying on ‘rejects’ from other academies once they reach the age of 16. In short Brentford buy players based on data, give them a chance, win more games than they lose and sell the players on for a profit. A few examples of players that have been sold for big money in this model include Neal Maupay, Saïd Benrahma, Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa, who are all now top Premier League players. Brentford also keep faith in managers based on data, as opposed to simply hiring and firing based on what happens on the pitch. This was best proved when Brentford lost in the Championship Play Off Final to Fulham last year, in extremely unfortunate circumstances after a great season where the club finished third in the Championship. The Bees maintained the faith in their system and Thomas Frank once again delivered an excellent season which this time resulted in promotion.

As for Brentford’s debut Premier League season, I feel as though the Bees have a cause to be optimistic. The step up from Championship football to Premier League football is never easy but Brentford are better prepared than most who make that jump. In fact I would place them in the Wolves and Leeds category of sides who will become part of the furniture of the Premier League for years to come. The Championship is an incredibly difficult league to get promoted from, it is tactically demanding due to the numerous different styles and above all physically draining, often with two games a week at a minimum. Despite this, Brentford have proved that they can still play quality football and win plenty of matches along the way. The translation to the Premier League will be similar to that of Leeds United, albeit on a smaller scale. This is mainly due to the strong core of players who can easily make the step up to the Premier League, as they are highly rated and have proved they can play on big stages. In fact, five Brentford first team players even made it to Euro 2020 in the summer. As well as this the English contingent of players like Rico Henry, Josh Dasilva and Championship record breaking centre forward Ivan Toney have all played vital roles in Brentford’s rise, attracting Premier League interest along the way. Brentford have only strengthened thus far in the transfer window too, signing a CB, CM and winger all under the age of 24 in typical Brentford fashion. The West London side will be looking to start in an aggressive fashion on Friday, getting the crowd onside and setting the tone with their pressing style. This could work in their favour however a gap in quality could show, leaving Frank’s side exposed, as Arteta’s team thrive in games where space is left in behind. With the players at Brentford’s disposal as well as the cagey nature of a first ever Premier League game, this contest could become quite even and could be won and lost in the details. As discussed earlier, Arsenal’s new CB Ben White could be a target for goal machine Ivan Toney due to his aerial weakness. Toney will be looking to pick up where he left off last season, as the longer the wait for a goal gets in the Premier League, the more pressure players find themselves under. Whatever happens on Friday though, I am sure that in typical calculated Brentford style a celebration will be subdued to focus on the games ahead, and a defeat will lead to harder work, after all last season Brentford only managed four points out of a possible twelve in their first four games.

Predicted Lineups:

Arsenal:

Injuries: Thomas Partey (Ankle), Eddie Nketiah (Ankle)

Suspensions: N/A

Arsenal should lineup in a 4-2-3-1 shape, a base structure that is preferred by Mikel Arteta. Although there is only one injury in the form of Thomas Partey, there will be plenty of players who may be out of contention for this game (at least in a starting role) due to the many international tournaments that have taken place over the summer. The main players that will miss the chance to start as they are not 100% sharp are Gabriel (CB), Gabriel Martinelli (LW / CF) and Bukayo Saka (LW / AM / RW), although Saka is the most likely to feature out of all three. As for the team, Bernd Leno starts in goal as the only real experienced keeper at the club, with Arsenal in the market for a backup or even a new #1 goalkeeper who better suits playing with the ball at his feet. Leno was called up to the Germany squad for Euro 2020 and kept 11 clean sheets last year in 35 appearances. At RB I was unsure who to pick, with three equally average choices at Mikel Arteta’s dispense. In the end I believe Hector Bellerin will start, as he is the best of a bad bunch. Bellerin was linked with a move to Inter however this has not materialised and since building his fitness backup over pre season he has seen plenty of game time culminating in him being first choice for Arsenal’s pre season trip to Tottenham on Sunday. At RCB, Ben White starts for me in one of the simpler choices, there won’t be much of an adaptation period besides getting to know his new teammates and therefore I believe Arteta will select him. At LCB, Gabriel’s absence means Pablo Mari will start which does worry me a bit. The spaniard is amazing with the ball but his agility and defending in a high line is very unconvincing, he struggles against pace. LB is a simple choice with Kieran Tierney, who picks himself as one of the most consistent performers at the club. He will be vital in overwhelming Brentford’s defence when he makes marauding runs forward. In midfield, a double pivot of Granit Xhaka and new arrival Albert Sambi Lokonga will be used. Partey’s absence means that Lokonga will be at the heart of midfield immediately, although I am quite excited for this. Lokonga is a progressive passer and has all types of passes in his locker, he is a strong mind and isn’t risk averse as he likes to carry the ball. Ahead of them Emile Smith Rowe will start off the back of a strong pre season where he picked up where he left off. The new #10 renewed his contract this summer, removing any doubts about where he will spend the next few years. At LW the captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should start, although the front three is hard to predict. Aubameyang has scored in Arsenal’s first game of the season for the past two campaigns, and will be hungry to get back to his old scoring habits after a poor season by his standards last year. At CF I believe Alex Lacazette will play to provide the link between the midfield and attack and help the two wingers attack space left by Brentford. At RW Nicolas Pepe will play and as discussed before, he will be hoping for a continuation to his end of season form.

With this lineup Arsenal will look to hurt Brentford when they are in defensive transition, as they often contest for the ball high up the pitch. Arteta will look to win the ball as high as possible and set Pepe and Aubameyang going into open space. Off the ball Arsenal will press incredibly high, as we saw in the game against Chelsea at The Emirates a couple of weeks ago. My concern is more what will happen when Arsenal have the ball. We should see Tierney pushed high and wide with Xhaka covering along with Smith Rowe linking play although this XI lacks a creative edge, with more outlets than players who want the ball to feet. This is why it is possible we could even see Aubameyang used as a CF, which is a rarity under Arteta, with Saka at LW tucking in to combine with Smith Rowe. The test for Arsenal defensively will be the organisation of the line, all players need to ensure they push up together and they cannot get drawn out too far leaving their teammates exposed. In my opinion the key battle from an Arsenal point of view will be Ivan Toney v Ben White. Toney is a powerful CF who can score all types of goals and link play but most importantly turn up in the right place at the right time. Arsenal must marshal him whilst also closing spaces to avoid penetrating runs from the Brentford wingers who will be tucked in.

Brentford:

Injuries: Mathias Jensen (Leg), Josh Dasilva (Hip)

Suspensions: N/A

After an uninspiring pre-season by Arsenal, Brentford will be hoping to start their Premier League journey in a positive way. Brentford can lineup in three main systems, one a four at the back and the other two a three at the back. Thomas Frank is a hard man to predict, he has rotated all three systems in pre-season but my inclination currently is that he will use a 3-4-3 for Brentford’s Premier League debut. With the three at the back systems largely being responsible for Brentford’s promotion despite Frank initially switching to these systems because of injury woes, I believe he will stick with what earned Brentford their place in the top flight, especially since these systems are incredibly flexible. Brentford also have multiple players who can perform in an array of positions, Sergi Canos being a great example of this. A long term injury to Josh Dasilva and Mathias Jensen also being out of contention almost certainly disqualifies a 4-3-3 from consideration. As for the personnel, David Raya will start in goal, a man who kept 17 clean sheets in 45 Championship games last season. He has attracted interest from Arsenal before and despite being a talented keeper, is widely known for his costly error in the Championship Play Off Final in the 2019/20 season by neutrals. The back three will consist of two players who helped secure promotion in Ethan Pinnock and Pontus Jansson, who was signed from Leeds in July 2019. Along with those two will be Norwegian summer signing Kristoffer Ajer, who was brought in from Celtic for £14.1M. At LWB, Rico Henry will make his long awaited return from injury meaning Brentford will have a natural fullback to stretch the width of the pitch and on the opposite side at RWB, the first of a few arguable positions is introduced. The first more natural but probably less likely selection here would be 22 year old Mads Roerslev, who despite joining Brentford in 2019 has only played 28 games for the club. The second more attacking option who would really take the game to Arsenal would be Sergi Canos, the Spanish winger who has played wingback for a short while now as a result of the change of system. Canos as you may expect is not the best defensively but would possibly pin Tierney back, meaning that he cannot have the same offensive impact for the visitors. In midfield Frank could possibly include a third midfielder like new signing Frank Onyeka and play two attackers although I feel this may be the plan to possibly see out the game if Brentford are leading. A midfield two of Christian Nørgaard and Vitaly Janelt are the obvious options in Jensen’s absence. Finally, as for the attack I will confirm that one man will certainly be playing as the CF, and that man is Ivan Toney. With a record breaking 31 goals and 10 assists to his name last year in 45 Championship matches, the £10M fee that Brentford paid looks a bargain with his value sky rocketing ever since he joined the West London side. Flanking Toney on the right, is the easier choice of the many wingers that are competing for spots in this side. I believe Bryan Mbeumo will start as he was vital for promotion in the previous year. On the left, I have gone for Tariqe Fosu as he is a more experienced and settled member of the squad compared to others in his position. Turkish international Halil Dervişoğlu and summer signing Yoane Wissa from Lorient narrowly miss out largely due to inexperience in a game of such importance.

Brentford’s main goal will be suffocating Arsenal when they have the ball, which is where Ben White and Pablo Mari may be of great use to the Gunners as they are not pressing triggers. Brentford will assert themselves and the full capacity crowd will be vital, as we saw in the Play Offs last year Thomas Frank likes to orchestrate his supporters! Brentford will want to try to prevent Arsenal’s fullbacks (particularly Tierney) from getting up the pitch to support the wide forwards in Aubameyang and Pepe. By isolating these two, Arsenal’s goal threat is significantly reduced, although to do so Ajer and Pinnock will have to position themselves expertly as there is a huge pace mismatch. Arsenal will be looking to take any fun away from Toney’s night as mentioned previously but if Brentford decide on a more attacking lineup with the likes of Canos involved, the Bees will have multiple options to sting Arsenal. if Brentford are chasing the game at any point I am sure more space will open up for Arsenal but alternatively if the home side find themselves ahead with 20 or 30 minutes to go, Frank may switch to a 3-5-2 with an extra midfielder to ensure they stay compact but remain a threat on the counter. In my opinion the key battle for Brentford on the night will be ensuring a balance is found between pressing players like Xhaka who have lethal long range passing and not getting too tight to the likes of Aubameyang and Pepe who will certainly find it easier to play against wide CB’s in a three at the back system than your average fullback that they typically face. For both sides, ensuring their defensive structure is perfect will be vital and I expect an entertaining start to the new Premier League season.