At 4:00 a.m. Beijing time on January 20, the supplementary match between Brentford and Manchester United in the seventeenth round of the Premier League will be played at brentford home, which is the first time this season that Manchester United has played against promoted Mabrentford, and it is also a team that has never beaten Manchester United since 1938. Given that United have put an end to their unbeaten record for many teams, there are always some surprises to consider every time they play against a team that has never beaten Manchester United in a certain period of history.
Brentford's home wins are unlikely
This season Brentford has played at home against Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester City, Arsenal and other top-ranked teams in the Premier League, as well as against relegation teams such as Norwich, who have maintained a very good record at home, and no team has ever been able to take a 2-goal or more lead at Brentford This season. Chelsea, Manchester City and Leicester City all scored a small victory and left, and their defensive ability at home is commendable.
Considering that Lonnick's Manchester United have not yet shown their offensive ability, perhaps there will not be too much of a score in this game. Manchester United, which desperately needs to win the sprint for the fourth place, will likely win small victories. So, what is Brentford's offense and defense like?
Brentford's goal-scoring ability
Brentford have scored 24 goals this season, eight fewer than United. But Brentford's goal distribution is very interesting. Six set-piece goals, three penalty goals, one oolong goal, almost half of the total number of goals scored in non-positional battles, to some extent show that Brentford is a good team at disrupting the game.
They usually use a 352 formation, but their two wing-backs are not used for crosses, but to pull apart the offensive width and specialize in playing the gap on the full-backs. Brentford can score 3 goals on Liverpool, which is the space to play at full-back, but Brentford's number of crosses and direct stops are all at the bottom of the Premier League. It's simple: long passes, they're very good at using long passes to hit the centre-backs, full-backs, and let two strikers and two wing-backs rush in, creating opportunities for counter-attacks or fouls.
How will United respond?
United have won only one of the last four games, and Rangnick has always stressed the importance of keeping a clean sheet and conceding fewer goals, so the focus of United's game should be based on defense, so it is important to prevent Brentford from playing the ball behind the counter-attack. Considering that Luke Shaw and Mike Jr. have returned from suspension and Nemanja Matic have started three of their last four league games, it is not surprising that United have adopted a 3-centre-back formation.
It seems that the double center and wing-back that defend Brentford have become the key to Manchester United's defense, and the key to United's attack is how to pass through the midfield. Brentford has hoarded 5 players in midfield, the formation width is used very well, and the defensive density is also very high, so whether United's weak backcourt shooting ability can penetrate Brentford's dense midfield and quickly push it to the front is crucial.
Given United's lack of organizational skills up front, perhaps United should think more about how to improve the rotation speed of football, pull the centre-back out from the flanks, and then use crosses or scheduling the ball to play the weak side. Then, United's side attack is also very critical. Ronaldo's ability to score goals in this game is important, and even more important is the attacking ability of the Manchester United wing.
Conclusion: Bullish on Manchester United's small wins or averages
United can't afford to lose, it's a consensus that Brentford's home side is not easy to play. But the tactical thinking that Lonnick has shown in the past few games may be able to give United a small one-goal victory.