The G-Tech is a Fortress; can anyone break through?

We are fourteen games into the Premier League season and Brentford are STILL unbeaten at home. And not only unbeaten, but they are also demolishing their opposition. The West London side have played eight at home, won seven and drawn one, all whilst scoring an astounding 26 goals. At home alone, they’ve outscored all of the bottom eight teams, Fulham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forrest, who currently sit fifth.

With Ivan Toney jetting off to Saudi in the summer, fans were unsure of what the season would hold.  Brentford made efforts to replace their all-time leading goal scorer, signing Thiago Rodriguez from Club Bruges for a club-record £30 million pound fee. The exciting signing unfortunately sustained a meniscus injury in pre-season ruling him out for months. The striker has recently made a return against Everton and has since featured in Brentford’s three most recent games.

Brentford made efforts to strengthen their squad, bringing in highly thought of players. Liverpool youth players, Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg were brought in, and are proving to be great additions - adding necessary attacking and defensive stability.

Despite the setbacks; Brentford bought and prepared and looked ready to compete.

Brentford began their season at home, with a 2-1 victory over tough opposition, Crystal Palace. Frontmen Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa let their fans know that Toney wasn’t to be missed, his departure gave the main men of Brentford their moment to shine. The dynamic duo showed just how good they were in the following home matchup against newly promoted Southampton. The Bees battered the Saints 3-1, with Mbeumo at the brace and Wissa adding to the party. The third home game saw Brentford held to a tight draw with a struggling West Ham. Mbeumo tore the G-Tech up once again, adding a goal to his growing tally.

Despite registering away losses to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford came alive at home.

The goals at home simply wouldn’t stop. Match week seven saw Wolverhampton Wanderers pull up to Brentford, hoping to dampen their great run, but the Wolves were greeted and kicked out swiftly. Brentford claimed victory in an eight-goal frenzy, defeating their opposition 5-3. Five goals, five different goal scorers. Just as the Bees thought they couldn’t get enough, the players served up more. An edge of your seat, nail biting, heart palpitating game was at G-Tech once again. The inevitable Bryan Mbeumo scored a 90+6-minute winner against Ipswich and stole all three points. The next visitor was Bournemouth, ready with ammunition to kill Brentford’s joy, but just like the others; they were silenced. The Bees defeated The Cherries 3-2, in a match too close to call. But once again, Wissa was at the double.

Just how long could Brentford keep winning? Leicester came along but were resigned to a battering at the hands of the Bees. Youngster Kevin Schade hunted down the Foxes, finishing them off with a hat-trick to show everyone that the fortress was impenetrable. The final whistle blew: 4-1 to Brentford. Last weekend, Brentford hosted arguably their toughest opposition yet. Talisman Mbeumo opened the scoring, only for Newcastle’s Isak to come back swinging. Wissa gave the Bees the lead, but Harvey Barnes equalized for The Magpies a mere four minutes later. Just as soon as Brentford thought their streak could be coming to an end, Nathan Collins reassured them, and Schade made a mockery of the visitors. 4-1. A long drive back to Newcastle with zero points for some.

26 goals scored, 14 conceded. Almost no-one saw that coming.

Now, Brentford may be a fortress, but that doesn’t mean teams aren’t scoring. They’ve scored fourteen. Only three other teams have conceded more at home than Brentford, but yet, if the Premier League table was only counted on home victories, Brentford would be champions. No teams are putting up numbers at home like Brentford. 26 goals at home in eight games. The second highest scoring home team are Tottenham, with twenty goals, still six off their West London opposition.

But how? Just how are these boys doing it?

Brentford manager, Thomas Frank, sets up as a diamond, as opposed to last season, where he fashioned the traditional 4-3-3. Three at the back, four covering the middle, two attacking midfielders and one striker. The formidable duo of Mbeumo and Wissa both take up positions on the same side, making the play down the right side deadly for any opposition. Combined, the pair have 18 goals and three assists. By setting up as a diamond, it allows all attacking players to push quickly, get bodies forward and be dynamic in their attacking style. Despite only registering one assist this season, Keane Lewis-Potter has been on fire for the Bees. The traditional left-winger has been pushed into a more wing-back-esque role but has been crucial to countless goals this season, slicing up play with his through balls to a pouncing Carvalho. Frank uses his three center-backs in a very traditional sense, but the other positions are more open. Mbeumo has been shifted; from winger to wing-back, and yet, he is scoring more than ever. The threat of five attacking players, all making their ways down the wings has been a key improvement for Brentford this season.

The Bees have scored 24 goals from open play, five from set pieces and two penalties, proving that they’re a threat at every angle. When they go a goal down, their heads refuse to drop; they always seem to find a way back into it. Last season, setting up as a 4-3-3, drew all the attention to Ivan Toney, who played as a strict number ten. The formational setup made it difficult for players to press forward and create goals. Now, the fluidity has helped Brentford and made them an attacking force to be reckoned with.

How long can the run last?

The Bees moved into their new home in September 2020, which seats slightly over 17,000, a slight numerical addition from their previous ground, Griffin Park, which sat 12,300. Despite the larger capacity, Brentford still has one of the smallest stadium capacities in the Premier League – but that doesn’t bother them. The only team with a smaller ground is Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, with a capacity of 11,364. Some may say its easier to play at the smaller grounds, but Brentford beg to differ. It’s the toughest challenge teams are facing this season; how to break down Brentford.

The Bees may be unbeatable at home, but they are yet to produce an away win this season, losing six and drawing one. They may be flying at the G-Tech, but improvements are always to be made. Top place finishes only come with overall consistency, and once Brentford master that, who knows where they'll end up.

Will ‘just a bus stop in Hounslow’ be laughing all the way into the top six?