Five takeaways from the Brentford vs Southampton friendly

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BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – JULY 22: Lasse Vibe of Brentford celebrates scoring a goal during the Pre Season Friendly match between Brentford and Southampton at Griffin Park on July 22, 2017 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images) /

Defensive exposure

Southampton played eight defenders during the 90 minutes, and the element of inconsistency this brings is expected in pre-season friendlies.

However Brentford carved through the centre of the park too often in the first half. Although Yoshida, Bednarek, Davis and Romeu dealt with most of the resulting chances, the number of opportunities was somewhat concerning.

On the right of the back four, Jeremy Pied also looked exposed on a number of occasions. Most of Brentford’s early wide opportunities came down the left wing, including the opening goal. Having already been caught napping a couple of times Pied was outpaced on 40 minutes, with the resulting cross setting up the Lasse Vibe goal.

And in the final 15 minutes Brentford again created chance after chance, this time primarily from the flanks, where they kept getting in behind the full backs.

Regardless of whether transfer rumours surrounding our defenders amount to anything this summer, Pellegrino will need to prioritize the foundation of a well-drilled, established back four. This will be the key to another solid defensive season.