Brentford has scored in the first forty seconds of the previous three games they have played in the Premier League; the Bees have been using set-piece coaches for nearly ten years; ex-Sky Sports analyst Keith Andrews is the current coach following Bernardo Cueva’s summertime move to Chelsea.
It’s unprecedented—definitely a Premier League record—and Jamie Carragher of Monday Night Football broke down their new kick-off “routine.”
It is the product of manager Thomas Frank and Brentford’s newest set-piece maestro, Keith Andrews, a former Sky Sports analyst.
While set-piece coaches are quite popular right now, Brentford has been using them for almost a decade. Sky Sports examines in further detail how the team has set the standard for coaching in this field and the immediate impact Andrews is having.
Nicolas Jover and establishing the standard
Back in 2015, Brentford were the first English club to employ a set-piece coach, and since then, larger clubs have signed numerous of its players.
After Brentford finished 2014–15 with the lowest set-piece record in the Championship, Giovanni Vio was the first player brought in. However, it is Nicolas Jover who has become possibly the most recognised one because to his recent achievements at Arsenal.
Jover was recruited to Brentford in 2016 and was then stolen by Manchester City, following three successful years with the then Championship side, on Mikel Arteta’s recommendation while he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant.
After that, in 2021, Arteta brought him to Arsenal, who have gone on to become the Premier League’s most successful attacking set-piece team with 45 goals. This season, Jover has been acknowledged as the mastermind behind several of their pivotal set-piece victories over Tottenham and Leicester.
But with to the guidance of Bernardo Cueva, who was the next creative set-piece coach to be signed, this time by Chelsea in the summer, Brentford are only slightly behind the Gunners, having scored 43 goals from set pieces between 2021 and the conclusion of the previous campaign.
After working under Chris Wilder at Sheffield United and spending six years as the national setup coach for the Republic of Ireland, Andrews is currently the set-piece coach at Brentford. He worked with every age group there, starting with the U15s and progressing to assistant manager of the senior squad, and he had a comparable effect on set pieces.
Andrews’ original concept
“Obviously, preparation is involved,” manager Frank acknowledged following Bryan Mbuemo’s second goal in as many games and his third of the season against West Ham, which came in under 40 seconds. We adjust our kick-off approach according on the results of each game.
As a way of thinking and being, we prefer to start out strong and optimistic. Of course, there are some margins in our favour, but I want to commend the players and the coaching staff.”
That’s a tribute to everyone who has supported the plan, but Andrews initiated the concept and devised the plan to take advantage of a quick start from kickoffs.
Kick-offs and throw-ins were considered potential ploys after he arrived at Brentford and looked around to see where he could add to an existing set of ideas. It’s important to note that Brentford presently leads the league in xG from long throws.
From the kickoff, Andrews intended to use Ajer as a target man. Four attacking players would then leap on the second ball, gain possession, and attempt to generate an opportunity.
The coaching staff desired a kickoff that matched Brentford’s fast-paced, aggressive style of play in order to make it predictable for Brentford but unpredictable for the opposition.
There was study done and a tendency established that City and Spurs go to the right-hand side at kick-off. Therefore, Ajer, who was playing right-back, moved up strongly on Brentford’s right flank. Following, the attacking players won the ball, moved into a crossing position, and set up goals for Mbeumo at Tottenham and Yoane Wissa at City.
Since they knew Julen Lopetegui would have completed his homework on the trick by now against West Ham, Frank, Andrews, and the crew changed things up and advanced the ball symmetrically.
It was therefore more about applying pressure on the second ball and subsequent stages in the third of the three quick goals. Fabio Carvalho in particular can be seen winning it twice before it eventually drops to Mbeumo for another superb finish.
Despite being Andrews’ idea, it seems Brentford has benefited from the combination of several of the team’s strategic advantages in one play: creative ideas, a coaching staff that is available to discuss matters openly, players who are willing to buy into plans, and the on-field talent to carry them out.
Carragher’s evaluation
So, was Carragher’s evaluation of the set-piece plan accurate? He said this while breaking down their three goals on Monday Night Football: “I believe that (Kristoffer) Ajer plays a significant role in this. With his height of 6 feet 5 inches and his ability to play full-back, he will definitely offer you a chance to hold onto the ball.
“They return to the goalie and kick it long; the ball will fall in this (attacking) region since he is six feet five inches tall. Next, they arrange the players in a cage-like fashion around the ball.
“The ball is surrounded by seven or eight players. They maintain its life. They get going quickly. They have the chance to keep the ball alive and get it into the box just by doing that.
“Compared to the other teams, they look so much more alive. Perhaps the warm-up has some significance as well. Dias made a mistake for Man City, and they took advantage of it. They put a terrific cross in and you still need a wonderful finish (from Mbeumo vs Tottenham).
“What makes this (against West Ham) interesting is that they’re attempting to do something different because they want West Ham to be unsure of which direction the ball will go when it comes back.”
“However, they manage to keep it alive (up the pitch) and win the subsequent ball. Although the start is just the beginning, it targets tall players and surprises teams by surprising them.”
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