This post initially featured on our dedicated English Football League analysis site, eflanalysis.com
Brentford got their new era underway with a defeat, as they came out on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline at home to Bristol City. Niclas Eliasson struck home a volley with one minute to go to hand new manager Thomas Frank a loss in his first game in charge, and Brentfords first home defeat of the season. The Bees have now dropped to 13th place in the Championship, three places off promotion ahead of their midweek game against strugglers Preston North End.
In this piece, I will look in depth at how Brentford Succumbed to defeat against fellow promotion chasers Bristol City in a tight affair at Griffin Park.
Brentfords Poor Attacking Display
You can tell that Frank was the assistant manager to former manager Dean Smith as Brentfords poor attacking displays continued once again. From poor finishes to a lack of cutting edge and creativity, Brentford put up an attacking display that shows exactly why theyve drawn four of their last six Championship games.
Brentford started much the brighter side and should have really taken the lead in just the ninth minute of the game. A beautiful ball from captain Romaine Sawyers split open a weak Bristol City defence as Henrik Dalsgaard found himself in behind. His ball across to Neal Maupay shouldve seen Brentford one-up, however, the in-form striker somehow missed the ball as it hit his standing leg, and rolled off harmlessly for a Bristol City goal-kick.
The Maupay chance proved to be one of many clear-cut chances for Brentford in the first half, as they struggled to break down what was proving to be a resolute Max OLeary. The Bees did, however, look comfortable on the ball and showed the same good build-up play, at Griffin Park when attacking, as they did under previous manager Smith. In the first-half, Brentford had seven shots on the Bristol City goal, however, only two of those seven shots proved to be on target and made OLeary work, as Brentford once again showed a lack of cutting edge up front.
Brentford started the second-half in the same vein of form they ended the first half, with good attacking build-up and a lack of cutting edge. This theme was cut short when Brentford were cut down to 10-men after a red card for centre-back Chris Mepham on 58 minutes.
![PSG Vs Lille [3–0] – Ligue 1 2025/2026: Why LOSC Failed To Exploit PSG Defensive Weaknesses – Tactical Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PSG-Vs-Lille-20252026-350x250.png "PSG Vs Lille [3–0] – Ligue 1 2025/2026: Ruthless Efficiency Versus Attacking Waste – Tactical Analysis 8")
