Analysis: Brentford's start under Keith Andrews | OneFootball

After a fantastic comeback win over Newcastle at Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday, Brentford climbed to within three points of the Champions League places - and now feels like the perfect time to take stock of the Bees’ Premier League campaign so far.

The hosts fell behind to a Harvey Barnes strike midway through the first half but roared back after the break thanks to a Kevin Schade header, an Igor Thiago penalty in the 78th minute, and the Brazilian’s eighth Premier League goal of the season in stoppage-time.

With another international break now upon us, Brentford sit 12th in the table - and here’s a ‘first XI’ of stats to sum up Keith Andrews’ opening 11 league games in charge.

1. Brentford amongst the most vertical teams in the Premier League

The Bees have played a larger percentage of their passes forward (36.9%) than any other side in the top flight. Crucially, this directness hasn’t come at the cost of accuracy - particularly when building from the back.

Summer signing Caoimhín Kelleher has helped maintain that balance, ranking second only to Jordan Pickford (95) for accurate long balls (75) this season.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper also boasts the highest completion rate (39.6%) for passes over 40 yards of any Premier League keeper.

2. Michael Kayode’s fantastic form

Signed on a permanent deal in the summer, Kayode has hit the ground running this term - completing more successful dribbles than any other Premier League defender.

The athletic Italian has completed 21 of 37 attempted take-ons (57%), placing him ahead of more attack-minded wide players such as Everton’s Jack Grealish and West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen in the dribbling stakes.

Kayode’s potent long throw led to Schade’s equaliser against Newcastle on Sunday, but his creativity extends well beyond set-pieces: no Premier League defender has completed more key passes (15) this season.

3. A shift in Brentford’s approach

Last term, the Bees conceded an average of 17 shots per game - but under Andrews, that figure has dropped sharply to just 12.2.

Brentford are not only allowing fewer efforts; they’re limiting the quality of those chances too.

So far this season, only Arsenal and Sunderland (0.10) have conceded shots with a lower average xG than Brentford’s 0.11.

4. Clear parallels to last season

Remarkably, the Bees’ Premier League record of five wins, one draw and five losses exactly mirrors their opening 11 fixtures in 2024/25.

At this stage last term, Brentford had scored and conceded the same number of goals (22) - just as they have this season (17).

In fact, they’re currently the only team in the Premier League with a goal difference of zero.

5. Centre-back pairing

Nathan Collins and Sepp van den Berg are the only outfielders to have played every minute of Brentford’s Premier League campaign so far - and the central defensive duo rank highly across a raft of key metrics.

Both sit inside the league’s top 10 for clearances made, while Collins ranks second only to Everton’s James Tarkowski for shots blocked this season.

Van den Berg, meanwhile, is fourth in the top flight for aerial duels won.

Brentford’s collective reliability at the back is further underlined by the fact that only Bournemouth (2) have committed fewer errors leading to an opponent’s shot than the Bees (4).

6. Brentford excel aerially at both ends of the pitch

In addition to van den Berg’s dominance in the air, forwards Thiago and Schade both rank among the Premier League’s top five forwards for headers won this season.

The Bees have also attempted more headed shots (40) than any other side in the top flight, with only Erling Haaland and Dan Ballard registering more headed efforts on goal than Schade and Dango Ouattara (8).

7. Counter-attacking prowess

Under Andrews, Brentford have shown real ruthlessness in transition, switching from defence to attack in an instant.

The Bees have already scored four goals on the counter attack - matching their total for the entire 2024/25 season - and only Bournemouth (5) have netted more in the Premier League this term.

8. Brentford’s mantra remains: quality over quantity

The Bees rank in the lower half of the Premier League for total shots on goal, but what separates them from many of their peers is the accuracy of their shooting.

Only Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal average more shots on target per game than Brentford, who boast the second-best shots-on-target percentage in the division (38.4%).

They also lead the Premier League for xG per shot (0.17) - a reflection of their efficiency in creating high-quality chances.

A key factor behind that is shot selection: Brentford take their efforts from closer to goal (14.7 yards on average) than any other side in the top flight.

9. 'Superb' Igor Thiago

After an injury-plagued year on the sidelines, the Brazilian striker has played himself into superb form - and many Fantasy Football teams - this season.

Currently second in the Premier League scoring charts, Thiago combines stature with mobility, and his composure from the spot has seen him convert more penalties (3) than any other player in the division.

Only Haaland (61%) has scored a higher percentage of his team’s goals this season than Thiago (47%).

10. Four-tress Gtech

Strong home form is vital for any team, and Brentford’s solid start has been built on four victories at Gtech Community Stadium.

Only Manchester City (16) have scored more home goals than the Bees (12) in the Premier League this season, and the Cityzens (15) are also the only side to have collected more home points than Brentford (13).

11. Game-changing bench options

Head coach Keith Andrews has emphasised his whole squad’s togetherness and spirit throughout his early months in charge - and the evidence so far suggests Brentford have a deeper bench than last season.

During the previous campaign, the Bees scored just three goals via substitutes in the Premier League; they have already matched that total this term.

Mathias Jensen and Fábio Carvalho, in particular, have provided bright cameos off the bench.

And late drama has been a theme: only Sunderland (5) have scored more Premier League goals after the 90th minute than Brentford (4) - the Bees with a literal sting in their tail so far this season.