Listing Brentford's many casualties over the course of 2023/24 is an arduous task likely to span several paragraphs, so suffice it to say that the Bees had their fair share of injury problems.

Ivan Toney's suspension until January further limited Thomas Frank's options in attack, and the head coach was often forced to tailor tactics and systems to the personnel at his disposal.

Necessity is the mother of invention, however, and a feature of Brentford's third campaign in the Premier League was their ability to adapt and remain competitive in a league which Frank, himself, has billed "brutal".

And the Bees boss will no doubt have been delighted by the manner in which some previously unsung players stepped up to the plate.

Chief among them was the defensive duo of Kristoffer Ajer and Mads Roerslev, with the Scandinavian pair racking up 62 top-flight appearances between them in 2023/24, as Frank switched to a five-man backline for much of the campaign.

Towering Norwegian Ajer was one of the most dominant performers in the Premier League in the air last season, winning an impressive 63 of the 86 aerial duels (73 per cent) he contested, and only five players in the league won a higher percentage of headers.

Ajer, who notably scored a dramatic late equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, was equally adept at winning his battles on the deck and won 38 of his 51 attempted tackles (75 per cent).

Meanwhile, Roerslev's central role to proceedings last season was underscored by the fact only Vitaly Janelt (38) and Mark Flekken (37) featured in more league games for the Bees than the reliable Dane (34).

Ranking fourth for tackles won (48) and third for accurate crosses (24), Roerslev fulfilled both his attacking and defensive duties, and his single goal of the season was an important one - a leveller when trailing at home to Chelsea in early March.

A versatile supporting cast headlined by Keane Lewis-Potter, Zanka, Yehor Yarmoliuk (the joint fourth-most used substitute in the Premier League) and Saman Ghoddos was also vital to Brentford's cause throughout the past campaign. Notably, only Newcastle (20) boasted more different goalscorers than the Bees (18) last term.

Frank may have been forced to constantly shuffle his starting line-up, but he will be thankful for the continued consistency Brentford enjoyed in one of the most important positions on the pitch.

Recruited from Freiburg to replace Arsenal-bound David Raya, Mark Flekken had big shoes to fill given that his Spanish predecessor topped the charts for saves made and accurate long balls in the Premier League last season.

However, after a settling-in period, Flekken established himself as one of the Bees' strongest performers in 2023/24 and he ranked second to Jordan Pickford (400) for long balls completed in this season's top flight, with 321.

The Dutchman memorably came of age with a stellar performance against champions Manchester City in February, and his ball to Neal Maupay in that game meant he was one of only two Premier League goalkeepers (along with Wolves' José Sá) to record a league assist.

Flekken certainly played an integral part in Brentford's build-up play, and this was illustrated by the 1,795 touches he took during the duration of the season, more than any other Premier League keeper.

Under the guidance of Frank, the Bees have looked to add layers to their game season-by-season, and their increased possession statistics (they averaged 45 per cent last season, compared to 43 per cent in 2022/23) owed much to the additional control Flekken provided in defensive areas.

The theme of this article has been how Brentford have moulded their game to ensure Premier League survival, and their ability to find an increasing number of goals from open play deserves a special mention in this regard.

Tied with champions Man City last season as the deadliest set-piece team in the Premier League, Brentford were always going to have to tweak their attacking strategy given Toney's suspension.

Last season, 13 of Toney's 20 Premier League strikes were notched from set-pieces (seven) or penalties (six) and over 40 per cent of Brentford's goals came from dead-balls.

Enter Yoane Wissa. Handed the chance to spearhead Brentford's attack for much of last season, the DR Congo forward was as lively as he's ever been - and all of his 12 Premier League goals last term came from open play.

In fact, aside from Toney's free-kick against Nottingham Forest and three penalties from Bryan Mbeumo, ALL of the goals scored by Brentford's forward players in 2023/24 came from 'fluid' situations with the ball in play.

Renowned for their efficiency and pragmatism even before last season kicked off, the Bees' ability to find solutions on and off the pitch was a clear thread running throughout a challenging campaign.

The primary objective of safeguarding their Premier League status now achieved, Frank and his backroom staff will no doubt look to digest the many learning points from last season and apply them in 2024/25.