Recap
Leicester City dropped all three points against Brentford on Saturday morning by a score of 4-1. The Foxes took the lead with their only shot of the first half when Jamie Vardy teed up Facundo Buonanotte to slot home. The Bees struck back with first-half strikes from Yoane Wissa and a brace from Kevin Schade. Schade completed his hat trick after the break to put the game to bed in the same way Travis Coates put Ol’ Yeller to bed.
Caretaker manager Ben Dawson faced an uphill battle, facing the club with the best home record in the top flight, but he wasn’t helped by the fact that his charges took to their new tactical system like a golden retriever takes to particle physics. The squad looked out of sorts in attack and defence. It is likely they would have looked out of sorts in other phases of the game if there were other phases.
Today’s match was a showcase of the enormity of the task that awaits Ruud van Nistelrooy. City’s players weren’t overwhelmed in individual battles, but instead as a team. Thomas Frank’s side played with discipline and understanding of the system and the Foxes showed neither virtue. The first task is going to be to get all the players on the same page and the second will be to restore confidence. If those two don’t happen, nothing else really matters.
Did anyone impress? Certainly not the back five. Vardy was more involved than usual, but he was isolated. Buonanotte showed sublime skill but he too was on an island. I’m not sure anyone else demonstrated much that shows up on the positive side of the ledger. What, you expected some silver linings from a 4-1 defeat at Brentford? Not today.
3 Takeaways
Luke Thomas is an interesting player, isn’t he? He not the most physical specimen, but he is capable of doing useful things with the ball at his feet. It will be interesting to see what role, if he, he plays under van Nistelrooy.
Our ability to defend against through balls was non-existent. I don’t know if it was a lack of concentration, a lack of ability, or just getting to far forward, but it was painful to watch. Faes, in particular, was exposed far too often.
I suspect the club would like a do-over on most of their summer spending.
The defeat leaves the Foxes on 10 points from 13 matches. We’re 16th on the table but we could be in the relegation zone before the next match. Speaking of “the next match,” that’ll be against West Ham on Tuesday. It will also be Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first match in charge. Next Sunday, we host second-on-the-table Brighton and Hove Albion. Not gonna lie: That’s a sentence I never expected to write.
Leicester City: Mads Hermansen, James Justin, Wout Faes, Conor Coady, Caleb Okoli (Jannik Vestergaard 34’), Luke Thomas, Wilfred Ndidi, Boubakary Soumare (Oliver Skipp 64’), Facundo Buonanotte (Stephy Mavididi 64’), Jordan Ayew (Bobby De Cordova-Reid 79’), Jamie Vardy (C) (Patson Daka 64’)
Brentford: Mark Flekken, Ethan Pinnock, Nathan Collins, Keane Lewis-Potter, Sepp van den Berg, Mikkel Damsgaard, Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen, Kevin Schade, Youane Wissa, Bryan Mbuemo
Key Moments and Notes
1’-The Foxes line up with 5 at the back for the first time in quite a while. I’m certain it’ll be listed as a 3-4-3, but James Justin and Luke Thomas are providing the width today, so that strikes me as aspirational.
3’- Close! The Bees work a throw-in routine to great effect. Instead of a long throw into the box, they work to find an open man outside the Leicester box and pump it into the mixer. Schade rises highest to reach it and loops a header towards the top corner of the goal, but Hermansen makes an acrobatic save. That was going in.
11’- It’s all Brentford right now as the Foxes are struggling to win the ball and more so to keep it. We have a lot of bodies in the box, but we’re not offering anything going forward.
21’- GOAL! Ayew plays a through ball for Vardy to run on it. He turns Pinnock inside out and gets knocked over by the defender, but as he’s going down, the striker slides the ball to Buonanotte who slots home from close range. It’s the very definition of “against the run of play.”
Brentford FC v Leicester City FC - Premier League If the referee had just blown the whistle at 30’...
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
25’- GOAL! An instant response from the hosts. Faes and Justin get caught out by a through ball by Damsgaard for Schade. He finds Wissa’s run into the box and he scores from close range. Too easy. We’re level again.
28’- Okoli requires some treatment after colliding with Hermansen attempting to stop that last Brentford attack. He’s back up, but he’s not moving well.
29’- GOAL! Too easy again. Damsgaard receives the ball in acres of space on the left. Wissa and Mbeumo combine well on the right. The low cross is deflected to Schade and he blasts home, leaving Hermansen no chance. 2-1 to the hosts.
32’- Okoli is back on the pitch. Not sure he would have made a difference on the last goal, but another body wouldn’t have hurt.
34’- Okoli is back down again. His race is run today. Jannik Vestergaard prepares to come on for the first time in quite a while.
42’- Brentford’s Jensen picks up a knock and has to come off. Vitaly Janelt replaces him.
45+8’- GOAL! Too easy again. The Bees stroll through the Leicester defence. Damsgaard has an age to pick out his pass. Faes plays Schade onside and he has a simple finish to get his second goal of the match. 3-1 to the hosts. That’s it for the first half.
Brentford FC v Leicester City FC - Premier League Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
46’- Neither manager makes any changes at the half, at least in terms of personnel. It does look like Buonanotte has been asked to help out more defensively on the Leicester right.
52’- The Foxes started the half well, but Brentford are starting to look like they’re going to extend the lead. Hermansen makes a brilliant reaction save against Mbuemo, but he was offside anyway.
59’- GOAL! Schade has his hat-trick. Out of nowhere, Collins plays an inch-perfect ball behind Faes. Schade is on it and slots home across Hermansen. Is it too easy? Yes, yes it is.
I’m struggling to find evidence to the contrary right now.
64’- A triple change for the Foxes. Buonanotte, Vardy, and Soumare are off for Stephy Mavididi, Patson Daka, and Oliver Skipp.
79’- Bobby De Cordova-Reid is on for Ayew. Nothing interesting has happened over the last 15 minutes and it is exceedingly unlikely anything will for the final 15 or so.
90+4’- Told ya. Nothing. It ends 4-1 to Brentford.