EFL Championship 2019/20 - Fulham vs Brentford

After a three-month hiatus, the EFL Championship has now returned for what can only be called an absolute sprint finish. Nine games will be played in a month, with four then potentially having another three on top in their quest for promotion to the Premier League. As time progresses the effects of this unprecedented schedule will be fascinating to observe – even more than the usual rigours of a run-in – and to see who copes best.

The first game in this marathon was between Fulham and Brentford – a huge game. Both still maintain hope of promotion, residing third and fourth respectively, with the added complication of a west London derby, albeit without fans. The Cottagers arrived to great expectations this campaign, possessing a supremely talented squad, but have been inconsistent in Scott Parker’s first managerial role. Thomas Frank’s side has also suffered at key points of the season, making up lost ground for a poor start to the season.

In this tactical analysis I will conduct analysis to look at the tactics of Fulham and Brentford in this EFL Championship opener.

Tactical overview

These two images below illustrate some of the tactical nuances within Fulham and Brentford’s play respectively. They were created by my fellow analyst Dylan Buesnel, who currently writes on the site EFL Analysis.

Line-ups

Both sides lined up in their regular 4-3-3 formations. Thanks to the lengthy-time off Fulham had a full-strength side. Harrison Reed returned to a midfield role. Neeskens Kebano was perhaps a surprise inclusion on the left-wing in favour of Ivan Cavaleiro. Brentford, however, were without Bryan Mbeumo who was self-isolating after testing positive, with January signing Tariqe Fosu starting instead. Elsewhere, Pontus Jansson returned to the centre of the defence after a series of injury problems before football’s suspension. Chelsea target Saïd Benrahma started on the left.

Fulham build-up

Parker’s preference is to build-up through the thirds, trying to ensure clean ball progression. Initiating offensive moves from deep helps draw the opposition, with the idea to play through and exploit the space they’ve left – this is especially applicable when considering the attacking talent of Fulham, such as Anthony Knockaert and his 1v1 dribbling ability. However, whilst this idealist philosophy is admirable it is complex to execute, therefore a degree of adaptability is necessary. This, though, was lacking – strange because of Mitrović’s undeniable hold-up ability.

Tom Cair