Ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Alex Keble takes an in-depth look at each of the 20 clubs.
Brentford
So much for second-season syndrome. The success of Brentford’s debut Premier League campaign was attributed in part to the surprise factor - and yet in 2022/23 they finished four places higher and with 13 more points.
The next step could be the hardest yet. Establishing themselves as top-10 mainstays gets trickier with Chelsea’s expected resurgence squeezing the space and yet Thomas Frank’s side finished just three points shy of sixth and a UEFA Europa League spot in May.
Their late drive towards the European places went almost unnoticed, their perseverance under Frank getting nowhere near the attention that Brighton & Hove Albion or Aston Villa received despite an almost identical points record.
Brentford supporters fearful of a half-season without Ivan Toney would take another quietly under-appreciated year, especially with the transfer window having so far borne little fruit. Is there such a thing as third-season syndrome?
Performance last season
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +7 | 60 |
| 9 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | +12 | 59 |
| 10 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | +2 | 52 |
| Competition | Performance |
|---|---|
| FA Cup | Third round |
| EFL Cup | Third round |
PL performance last five seasons
| 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 | 22/23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champ 11th | Champ 3rd | Champ 3rd | 13th | 9th |
How to improve on 2022/23
Brentford were ruthlessly efficient last season. They are one of the best set-piece sides in Europe, scoring 16 times in the Premier League, while only Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Arsenal conceded fewer than Brentford’s 46 goals. That was the key to their superb season.
Improving upon it will be very difficult, although a good place to start would be getting their transfers right. Brentford might have historically unearthed bargains with their industry-leading recruitment setup, but last year their two biggest buys, Mikkel Damsgaard and Kian Lewis-Potter, started just 11 matches between them.
More than anything else, Brentford appear to need depth, having got off to a sluggish start last season (16 points from their first 15 fixtures) and stuttering through a six-match winless run in the spring. Consistency isn’t possible without the option to rotate.
Key transfers
Mark Flekken has been brought in from Freiburg to replace David Raya, who has been left out of the squad for the season's opening match on Sunday.
Kevin Schade’s loan move has been made permanent and there are high hopes for Kim Ji-soo after a year in the B team. The only other transfer of real note is the reported £23million capture of defender Nathan Collins from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Recruitment has not come easy this time around, but Brentford need to add more quality just to tread water in the top 10, let alone challenge for a European place.
Tactics
Frank’s Brentford are an adaptable team too readily put in a box. Granted, in broad terms, Brentford do offer a pleasing counter-point to the modern tactical trends. Last season they won more aerials duels (665) than any other team, had the second-lowest pass-completion rate (72.8 per cent) and attempted the second-most long balls (2947).
Nevertheless, their methods alter from match to match and last season, even their formation was uncertain after Frank introduced a 4-3-3, which alternated with the 3-5-2 in an even split.
That progression helps explain the increase in Brentford’s goal tally and their climb up the table in spite of the loss of Christian Eriksen.
Mathias Jensen was pushed higher and, so thorough is Frank’s tactical work, the cogs kept turning.
Reasons to cheer
Brentford have always been resilient and there is no reason to assume that will change, not with Collins firming up an already mean defence. They gained 12 points from 17 matches in which they were losing last season and, drawing 14 matches, more than anyone else, were consistently difficult to break down.
There is also hope that Damsgaard – brilliant at UEFA Euro 2020 – will find his feet in England and inject Brentford with a subtler creative energy in the final third. He won’t be able to supply Toney until January, but even here there is hope.
See: Frank: You will see a different Damsgaard this season
Brentford won 13 points from the 15 matches when Toney was unavailable last season.
Reasons to fear
Still, there is no getting away from it: Toney is a huge loss. He scored 20 goals and assisted a further four in last year’s Premier League, which amounts to 41 per cent of Brentford’s tally. Only Harry Kane (43 per cent) and Erling Haaland (38 per cent) scored a higher percentage of their side’s total goals than Toney's 34 per cent.
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Opening six matches
Frank will be pleased with the start Brentford have been given. They begin against the newly attack-minded Tottenham Hotspur (H), which evokes memories of Brentford’s opening home matches in the last two seasons, a 4-0 victory over Manchester United and a 2-0 win against Arsenal.
That’s followed by Fulham (A), Crystal Palace (H), AFC Bournemouth (H), Newcastle United (A) and Everton (H), a tame run that includes four matches at the Gtech Community Stadium. By the time it’s over, we’ll know for sure if a third-season syndrome exists.
Predicted XI v Spurs
5-3-2: Flekken; Hickey, Collins, Pinnock, Mee, Henry; Damsgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Wissa