Away at the Etihad: Wissa scores after 22 seconds. Away at White Hart Lane: Mbeumo scores after 23 seconds. At home against West Ham United: Mbeumo scores again after 37 seconds. At home against Wolves: Collins scores after 76 seconds. In four consecutive games, they scored early to make it 1-0. The secret? Thomas Frank won’t tell us, but we found out.
Despite the variety of finishes, there are consistent principles underlying each quick-fire goal. We’ll break down each one in detail to uncover the tactical blueprint behind Brentford’s recent success right from kick-off.
14 September, Yoane Wissa (22 seconds) v Manchester City
From the opening whistle, Damsgaard plays it back to goalkeeper Mark Flekken, who sets up for a long pass. Brentford positions five players along the halfway line, all clustered on the right side. Flekken’s booming ball targets the towering Kristoffer Ajer, who, standing at 6′ 6″, comfortably wins the aerial battle against the much shorter Bernardo Silva. The second ball is won with a great deal of tenacity, and and it’s Nørgaard who briefly settles possession before seeking another direct pass forward.
The ball lands back at Ajer, who delivers a cross to the far post. Keane Lewis-Potter meets it with a header, sending it back across the goal. Stones and Ederson are unable to clear it as Yoane Wissa nods it into the empty net.
21 September – Bryan Mbeumo (23 seconds) v Tottenham
Brentford starts off again with Damsgaard passing back to the goalkeeper. This time, Ajer finds himself in an aerial duel with Micky van de Ven and comes up short. But Brentford’s setup is designed to capitalize on these moment, they position themselves to immediately win the second ball. Once again, it’s Nørgaard who delivers the decisive vertical pass. This time, he finds Lewis-Potter on the left flank. After a few clever body feints, Lewis-Potter whips a cross into the middle, where Mbeumo meets it first-time, curling it beautifully into the top left corner. A clinical finish to a sequence that shows clear similarities to their move against Manchester City.
28 September – Bryan Mbeumo (37 seconds) v West Ham
This time, Brentford tweaked their approach. Instead of playing the initial pass straight back to the goalkeeper, the ball was directed to a center-back, who invited pressure from the advancing attackers before laying it off to a teammate. Ethan Pinnock then launched it long again. Ajer, now playing on the left of the back four, pushed high but didn’t manage to challenge for the aerial duel. Although the opposition won the header, they couldn’t retain possession, as Brentford once again aggressively hunted down the second ball.
It eventually fell to Collins, who immediately sought the vertical pass to Kevin Schade. Using his pace advantage over Emerson, Schade nearly caught Areola off-guard with a mishit cross. Brentford once again pounced on the second ball, with Ajer sending in another cross. The West Ham defence failed to clear, and it was Carvalho who finally headed it down to Mbeumo, who hit it first-time with his left foot into the top-right corner. It took 37 seconds, but the outcome was a carbon copy of his previous strike.
5 October – Nathan Collins (76 seconds) v Wolves
Wolves seemed well aware of Brentford’s kick-off strategy and opted to start the game themselves after winning the coin toss. Unbothered, Brentford stuck to their game plan, immediately launching every ball long in the first 30 seconds to pressure Wolves’ backline. After winning a throw-in, they reset play from the back but remained focused on direct, vertical progression. Their gameplan to find the quickest route forward was clearly visible, and even center-back Nathan Collins ventured all the way up to the edge of Wolves’ penalty area.
Collins laid the ball off to Damsgaard, who exchanged a quick one-two with Mbeumo on the flank before delivering a pinpoint cross into the box. With Wolves’ defense caught out of position, Collins found himself unmarked and nodded the ball home with ease.
What is the secret?
Frank revealed that they naturally put some thought into it and adapt the kick-off tactics before each game. He certainly did not expect such success. The goal is clear: to make an immediate impact and set the tone from the first whistle.
The initial pass always goes back to the goalkeeper or, in certain cases like against West Ham, to a center-back. At the same time, five or six attackers move from the halfway line into the opposition’s half. The rest of the team stays behind, prepared to defend any transitions if possession is lost. Brentford decides in advance which flank they want to target with the long ball and positions their attackers accordingly. Kristoffer Ajer, standing at 6′ 6″, is key to this approach, as he’s tasked with contesting the initial aerial duels. But for Thomas Frank, it’s not the first ball that’s crucial, it’s the second.
Brentford’s entire attack is in close proximity to the first ball in order to capitalise on rebounds or loose balls. The only exception is Lewis-Potter on the left wing, who stays wide and serves as an outlet in case the ball is won.
If they win the second ball, the aim is often to play it directly out to the wings. Players like Ajer or Lewis-Potter then look to whip crosses into the box. However, delivering a perfect cross isn’t the primary goal, as seen in the matches against Manchester City and West Ham. The objective is to create chao, winning second balls repeatedly and bombarding the box with dangerous deliveries until they find the breakthrough.
