The Match, The Stat: Brentford 3-2 Liverpool
A bleak night in west London for Arne Slot's clueless Reds.
Top Five Stats
Liverpool have conceded four goals in throw-in situations in the last 19 league games. None of them were assisted directly from the throw itself.
This is the Reds’ first four-game losing streak within the opening nine matches of a league campaign since 1993/94. If you’re old enough to remember that era, you’d rather you couldn’t.
Either the first or second opposition shot has been converted in Liverpool’s last six games in league and Europe.
The Reds have won just three of their last 25 league games when a goal down at half time on the road, a run which stretches back into 2017/18.
Despite only having 34.1 per cent possession, Brentford made six fewer clearances than the visitors.
Match Review
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Liverpool went behind early, then couldn’t turn the game around despite amassing over two expected goals-worth of chances.
I want to give a lot of credit to Brentford. They had a plan which they executed superbly. The question is why a rookie boss like Keith Andrews can achieve that when a title winner in two countries cannot.
Arne Slot must’ve known what to expect. Liverpool had enjoyed one comfortable win at Brentford in their four Premier League attempts. It was never going to be easy tonight.
Even allowing for the new players in the squad, there remains more than enough residual knowledge of this sort of game among the longer-serving members of the team. An aerial bombardment was inevitable, so be ready.
And let’s be clear here. Based on the official (albeit, at times unreliable) player height data, the Reds had the slightly taller starting XI. As much as size isn’t everything, or so they tell me, Liverpool should’ve been able to compete on the set plays. To look so unprepared for the threat, so open to counters, is sickening.
The Reds played reasonably well for around 25 minutes after the first goal. Had it been 0-0, it would’ve been an encouraging away performance. The momentum then flipped to Brentford, though, with Liverpool unable to wrestle it back until it was too far late.
The difference in spirit and cohesion between the two teams can be summed up with some very basic statistics. There’s no need for expected threat here. The threat should’ve been expected, after all.
Liverpool completed 280 passes more than Brentford, 87 more in the final thirds alone. However, the Bees had less defending to do in their box, at least in terms of clearances. Slot’s men might have been successful with close to 300 extra passes but they completed one more than Brentford in the opposition box. One. The successful cross numbers were six apiece too, with the home centre-backs delighted to head clear aimless deliveries.
All of this being said, in all of that chaos that unfolded in west London, the match ultimately came down to two penalty decisions, with Liverpool on the wrong end of both of them. At the same time, the big chance count was 6-5 to Brentford; switching the penalties would give Liverpool the edge, but the theme of the recent bad run remains. They’re leaving so much to chance in the end-to-end matches they’re currently playing, with the margins falling for or against them almost at random.
Just look at the method of play for the decisive goals they’ve conceded in their five recent losses: throw in, penalty, open play, corner, penalty. Maybe they’re unlucky. Maybe if they could combine stronger defending of set pieces with a bit more luck with officials, the wheel would turn in their favour.
But maybe not, and almost certainly not if they play as badly as they did at Brentford. Whatever Slot’s plan is, it needs to come together. I love it when that happens.
Source for graphic: SofaScore.
Had to get this one out so I can hopefully sleep tonight and forget about this horrorshow...