The word pragmatic has become interchangeable with defensive, but this is one of football’s great misconceptions.

A pragmatic approach involves developing a system that is focused on enhancing the strengths of one’s own team while countering the opponent’s weaknesses in the most ruthless and efficient way. This has been Brentford’s guiding ethos since their promotion to the Premier League.

Last season – the club’s first in the top flight for 74 years, which ended in a 13th-place finish - Brentford averaged 44.6 per cent possession (15th). That figure has dropped to 43.6 per cent this term (16th).

Only Liverpool (1,071) and Manchester City (972) have played more accurate long balls than Brentford (934) this season, and the Bees have won more aerial duels (620) than any team in the division.

This represents a significant shift from Brentford’s approach during the 2020/21 Championship campaign, when they averaged 54.2 per cent possession (fifth highest in the division) and 382 short passes per game (sixth).

These days Brentford regularly have less of the ball than their opposition, but it’s what they do with it that counts.

With 54 goals, the Bees are the seventh-highest scorers in the division. Only Manchester City (23) have netted more goals from dead-ball situations Brentford (15 from set-pieces and seven penalties) and only Manchester United (eight) and Liverpool (seven) have scored more on the counter attack.

One of those counter-attacking goals, scored by Ivan Toney, was a stoppage-time winner against Manchester City in November. That 2-1 victory - City’s only defeat at the Etihad Stadium in 2022/23 – was one of three wins this season in which the Bees have had less than 30 per cent possession.

At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Frank’s side have kept 11 clean sheets. The Bees have played against the Premier League’s ‘big six’ 10 times this term, conceding on average just one goal per game.

Before Brentford’s opening fixture against Leicester City, Frank dismissed any talk of second-season syndrome, jokingly citing the Foxes’ 2015/16 title triumph as a reason to be optimistic.

And while his side haven’t quite hit those lofty heights, they have undoubtedly continued the club’s upward curve. With the finish line in sight, a place in the top half is well within their grasp.

The ability of Frank and his staff to tailor a gameplan based on how Brentford match up with each opponent, and the players’ ability to carry out their instructions, has been instrumental to the side’s success.

Structural Integrity

“It shows Thomas’s awareness and flexibility,” says assistant first team coach Kevin O’Connor when asked about the Bees’ change in style since promotion to the Premier League.

“Thomas would rather play a possession-focused game, as everyone saw in the Championship, but he puts the team’s needs first. It’s a great skill to look at your group of players and find a way to be really competitive in the league.

“If we could play our previous style of football in the Premier League, that would be amazing, but it’s going to take a few years to build towards that, step by step, layer by layer.

“We work on trying to keep possession in the opposition’s half - to be more patient on the ball and to go from there – but to get to where we were in the Championship is very difficult.

“If we put the players into a team, a system and a structure that gets the best out of them, we know we have a great chance in every game. Thomas and Brian [Riemer] were clear on that.

“Brian did a presentation at St George’s Park, the summer before going into the Premier League, and showed us Copenhagen’s defensive stats against the top teams in Europe.

“He used Copenhagen as an example to show that, if you get your structure right, you can be really hard to beat. That was a big focus.

“It came from Thomas and Brian, and it made complete sense. We knew that if we developed a well-organised team, we would be more than good enough in the league, and that’s been proven.”

He continues: “In the modern game, there’s more respect and understanding for the fact that teams must find different ways to compete.

“I remember when West Ham, under Sam Allardyce, beat [Jose] Mourinho’s Chelsea and he came into the press conference laughing because Mourinho had been upset by the style of play.

“Set-pieces are a massive part of the game, so what’s wrong with being good at them?

“But I must also say that I don’t think we’re completely direct. We mix it up and play at the right times.

“We have Kevin Schade, Bryan [Mbeumo] and [Yoane] Wissa who can run in behind, so why would we not play to our strengths? There are so many ways to win a game; that’s the beauty of football.”

Quality Over Quantity

Brentford rank 18th in the Premier League for total shots (354), but top for shot-on-target percentage (37). They have the best non-penalty xG per shot in the division (0.13).

Only Newcastle United and Bournemouth, on average, have taken their shots closer to goal than Brentford (15.9 yards) this season.

This is by design, O’Connor reveals, sat in a room dedicated to him at the Robert Rowan Performance Centre. His name is on the door and the photographs on the walls show his journey with the club. Among them is a fresh-faced 18-year-old signing his first professional contract in February 2000.

Since hanging up his boots in 2015 – following a 15-year playing career with the Bees – he has held a variety of roles, first with the development squad, then as head coach of Brentford B and now as part of the first-team set-up.

“We try to work the ball into the most dangerous position possible before taking a shot at goal,” O’Connor says.

“That has been a focus ever since I’ve been involved with the first team, even in the Championship. Sometimes we’d draw lines on the pitch and tell players to shoot from certain areas when possible.

“If you’re totally balanced from 20 yards and you’ve got a chance to shoot, sometimes it’s okay to do so. But most of the time it’s more effective to work the ball into a better position, and that’s what we try to do. We work on patterns in and around the box to get the ball into dangerous areas.

“But the players also have freedom to judge an opportunity. Of course, if Mathi [Jensen] has the ball 20 yards from the goal, with the ball just out his feet and he’s on balance, he can shoot. Ivan can shoot, and Bryan can shoot when he cuts in. There’s no rule, but the players know that we want to shoot from closer to goal.

“Thomas will show them sometimes, if they’ve had a shot off-balance, coming out of a tackle and leaning back – they’re the ones that he hates! We’ll show the players positive examples as well. The stats show that the players generally make the right decisions.”

Switching focus to the defence, no goalkeeper in UEFA’s top-five leagues has made more saves than David Raya this season (142).

While this stat may seem concerning to some, O’Connor interprets it differently.

“I think it shows our defensive structure,” he continues.

“We defend the box well, and sometimes we defend low, so the opposition are potentially going to have more opportunities to shoot from distance.

“David’s made some saves, and some good ones, but lots of them have been quite comfortable and the shots have been from a distance.

“But we still speak about getting more pressure on the ball because good players from 25 yards will score goals – we’ve seen that.

“It’s finding the balance between defending the box really well while being quick in the transitions to get up to the ball and make blocks.”

The Intangibles

Culture can’t be quantified, but tactics and team spirit go hand in hand.

The Robert Rowan Performance Centre, fittingly named after Brentford’s former technical director who tragically died in November 2018 after suffering a fatal cardiomyopathy episode, was officially opened in December.

The new building is a happy place, and Brentford’s players and staff enjoy coming to work.

“It’s exactly what we needed,” says O’Connor. “It’s not flashy, it’s not got every toy, but it’s efficient and it’s working very well.

“To walk in on the first day and see Rob’s name on the side of the building, and his portrait in reception, was quite emotional. This place reflects him.

“It reminds me of him every time I come in and every time I leave. Even if I’ve had a stressful day, I just remember Rob.”

O’Connor continues: “This new facility can only enhance the players. It’s a very good space to work in and it was worth the wait.

“I was on the previous site, on the other side of the training ground, from the very start when Martin Allen was the manager.

“We had divides in the pavilion, but not up to the ceiling, so when you were doing pull-ups, you could see what we were having for lunch!

“But we made it work and we should never forget that. We’ve always got to remember where we’ve come from. We can’t get ahead of ourselves.”

One of Brentford owner Matthew Benham’s fundamental beliefs is that the club’s progress should be based on performances and processes, rather than results.

In an industry so rife with knee-jerk decisions - often emotional rather than rational - O’Connor is grateful to be working in such a stable environment.

“Thomas references it, to let us know how lucky we are to have the owner, and the people above us that we have,” he says.

“It’s what makes us different, particularly when you see some of the strange decisions being made at other clubs.

“It helps everyone to know that, as long as we’re doing our jobs right, over time things will go the way we want them to. It’s a brilliant way to look at the game.

“When I was a player, it was win at all costs. If you played poorly but still won, that was okay. It’s so clever how you can judge games on more than just the result now.

“Judging on performance, rather than results, gives you a clear pattern and shows the areas that you need to improve on.”

There have been some changes to the first-team staff over the course of the season.

Justin Cochrane (head of coaching) and Ben Ryan (director of elite performance) were recruited last summer, while Claus Norgaard (assistant first team coach) joined in December following Brian Riemer’s appointment as Anderlecht’s head coach.

O’Connor admits that he was sad to see Riemer leave – the pair shared an office at Jersey Road and developed a close bond during the Dane’s four years in west London – but believes that fresh voices and ideas have benefited the group.

“Brian was a unique character,” says O’Connor. “He drove standards so high from when he first came in. His knowledge was amazing. He knew what he wanted all of the time, and the players bought into it.

“He was a massive part of our success, so to see him leave was really sad. He’s a true friend.

“But I was pleased for him to get the opportunity at Anderlecht, and he will have a really good impact there, I’m sure.

“Thomas has recruited Claus, who is very warm, very welcoming and also knows the defensive side really well. He’s a different character but he’s fitted into the group easily. He’s an honest, humble guy.

“Hopefully in the long term Claus will get similar results to Brian. In the short term, he definitely is. Credit to him because it can’t be easy coming into a new club, new culture and new country.

“To add him to Justin and Ben, who have been here since the summer, has created a good group.

“We’ve all had to take on some different responsibilities to fill the void left by Brian and move forward in a slightly different structure.

“That sense of freshness can only help the players remain focused. I never got the detail that our players have in each training session; that’s probably the difference between the level I played at and what you see at the club now with the top-level players and coaches we have.”