Brighton v Brentford: The data and analytics derby
Whilst the eyes of most of the world will spend their April Fool’s Day glued to Manchester City v Liverpool, a far more interesting Premier League clash will be taking place at the Amex between Brighton and Brentford.
Just like the action at the Etihad Stadium, it will have a huge bearing on the race for Europe. The major difference being of course that whilst City are bankrolled by unlimited sportswashing cash from Abu Dhabi and Liverpool vast sums of American money, Brighton and Brentford are challenging for the top six through being clever.
Data and analytics underpin what the Seagulls and Bees do, allowing them to build squads on a budget capable of challenging the richest and biggest clubs in the world.
Both punch well above their weight because of their owners, whose own rivalry has seeped into this fixture in the past decade.
The gist of it is that Brentford owner Matthew Benham used to be the protegee of Albion chairman Tony Bloom. Benham then struck out on his own, which to Bloom is the ultimate betrayal.
Employees of the Starlizard company which Bloom founded to analyse sporting data and find a competitive edge in the betting world have to sign famously strict non disclosure agreements; and here was a man once very close to Bloom leaving to go it alone.
Bloom has never forgiven Benham, to the point where he refuses to go in the boardroom when Brighton visit Brentford.
He normally offers a sizable one-off bonus to his Albion players too for getting one over Benham and the Bees, explaining why Brighon’s poor record against Brentford through the 1990s and 2000s has been turned around in recent years.
Football players seemingly love nothing more than cold, hard cash. It was no coincidence that the Seagulls ended their 11 game winless run from September until December last season by beating Brentford 2-0 on Boxing Day.
That result was really well received by one of the biggest crowds of the season, which will now forever read in the record books as being 30,141.
Phenomenal support for an 8pm kick off on Boxing Day, especially all those who took the time to source, make and wear a blue empty seat fancy dress costume to give the impressions there were just over 10,000 physical fans there.
Brentford ended last season in 13th place, an excellent first campaign in the Premier League. Brighton were ninth. The two clubs released their financial results for 2021-22 within a week of each other, revealing they had two of the three lowest wage bills in the top flight.
The other club to pay their players a pittance compared to the rest of the league were Burnley, giving you some indication of the success of the data and analytics approach Bloom and Benham have introduced to English football.
Whereas the Clarets went down, Brighton and Brentford survived. Not just survived, but survived handsomely. And this season, they are gunning for Europe. It is fantasy football made possible by the respective owners.
Benham secured bragging rights last time the sides met in October on a disappointing evening for Brighton at the GTech Stadium.
You know its been a bad night when the highlight is Dick Knight shouting outside the turnstiles “I’m the president of this fucking football club” because his ticket would not work.
Knight subsequently “banned himself” for 10 games because of his outburst. The powers that be at the club failed to see the funny side, probably because Bloom and Paul Barber dislike Knight almost as much as Benham.
We still await the Dogma t-shirt with Knight’s face and those immortal words, which will surely sell like hot cakes. Maybe in time for the FA Cup semi final?
President Dick was not the only person losing his mind on the banks of River Thames. Roberto De Zerbi had some handbags with opposite number Thomas Frank, picking up his first yellow card in only his third game in charge of Brighton.
It was at that point we realised the new man in the dugout was a fiery chilli cheese compared to the dour chalk of Glow Up Graham Potter.
The final score was Brentford 2-0 Brighton. The Albion were their own worst enemy in conceding a penalty against a side containing Ivan Toney, a player whose record is so good from 12 yards that you would bet your mortgage on him converting. And if you did not want to bet it, Toney would for you… allegedly.
What makes this second meeting of the season between Brighton and Brentford more interesting is that it comes with the Albion now fully versed in DeZerbiBall.
The Seagulls are a different team to the one who were defeated by Brentford that night, playing in a style that is the opposite to their visitors. That should make for a fascinating, chess-like game of football.
Frank and his Bees sit back, pack the middle and force opponents out wide because they are so strong defending crosses into the box.
They then look to make fast breaks by getting the ball up to Toney once they have won possession back, playing on the counter.
In contrast, Brighton’s biggest threats are Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma out wide. The Albion stroke the ball around the back, inviting the opposition to press and commit.
Once they have, Brighton play quick passes through the newly opened spaced in midfield with the aim of feeding their wingers.
What happens when a team whose strategy is based on inviting the press faces a team whose strategy is to sit deep and counter?
What happens when a team with the two most in-form wingers in the league face a team who actively encourage their opposition to go wide because they thrive in defending such situations?
For football tacticians and hipsters, Brighton v Brentford will be a fascinating 90 minutes. Far more so than Pep Guardiola v Jurgen Klopp, where styles of play do come into it but not so much when you can just throw the GDP of an oil rich nation at signing Erling Haaland.
It is impossible to know or call who will come out on top in the data and analytics derby. A tough afternoon awaits the Albion, although you suspect if they are victorious then they will be handsomely rewarded by the chairman.
