#MillwallFC v #BrentfordFC 3pm The Den
It’s 12th v 3rd as Millwall entertain Brentford at The Den
The reverse at Griffin Park could be seen as the turning point of a season that was struggling to gain momentum. 2-0 down with 6 minutes to go, Thomas Franks’ luck finally changed with 3 late goals to take all of the points.
We looked at Harris moving from on form Millwall prior to the Cardiff fixture and how his time at The Den was close to being allowed to go stale.
Out of work since his sacking by Stoke, Rowett waited, eventually chosen to push The Lions on and turn them into genuine playoff contenders.
Other than unfortunate defeats to Barnsley and Reading, (Millwall were the stronger side in both games in terms of chances created), with the club performing exceptional well under Rowett.
Rowett fell into a trap in a previous role at Derby, he was overly focussed on closing games out and worked far too hard to restrict the opposition, causing his own side to lose attacking impetus.
Seeing the troubles Nathan Jones went through across two seasons at Stoke, maybe Rowett was harshly criticised for his tenure and the club needs to bottom out, going through a period of incredible misfortune.
At Millwall, he was passed on a club already starting from a position of relative defensive strength and has quickly pushed them on again.
Across the division, we can see two significant defensive outliers in Leeds and Brentford, the only sides averaging below 1xG conceded per game. Millwall are the best of the rest avg slightly over 1xG game.
In the longer run, he may find that this control restricts his attacking game, but for now, we’re seeing his side work well to progress the ball forward through the dribbling and take-ons of Wallace, a constant threat throughout games.
Wallace and Romeo are a significant open play threat to Brentford.
Romeo is competing 55% of his attempted dribbles and a brilliant backup to Wallace down the right hand side.
Rowett recently tweaked his shape to a back 5, with Romeo operating as a wing-back allowing him to amplify his attacking and defensive contributions.
In this 343 shape, Wallace can find himself slightly tucked in, in the right hand half space when compared to a traditional right footed winger playing on the right side of midfield.
Romeo provides the widest body in possession occupying the opposite fullback, leaving Wallace free to pick up the ball beyond the defensive midfielder and immediately turn towards the centre backs if given time.
Variety in a league where most sides play some kind of variation of 433 can be a strength in itself. During his time out of the game, a keen student like Rowett would have watched the league closely.
Keep an eye on the Millwall boss in the area, he will have noticed how teams, especially Brentford, have profited in the past using this formation, relying on the strength of dominant attacking wing-backs to occupy opponents wide players.
Positioning wide players narrower allows you to get a sides best runners with the ball central areas quicker, closer to goal and with less players to work around to get a better shot on goal.
Jed Wallace has been directly involved in 8 goals (4 assists, 4 goals,) in the Championship, more than any other Millwall player at The Den this season.
Jake Cooper - The giant centre back was dangerous from set-pieces last year. Knockdowns to create chances in the 6 yard box for others were a huge part of Millwall's attack.
This season, Cooper has just the single goal and is almost 4 goals behind what he would be expected to score from the chances he has had. Do not be surprised to see the defender find the net across the next batch of fixtures.
Brentford will be looking to keep the ball away from Millwall in the middle third. The squad is looking a little thin in centrally with Dasilva, Mokotjo Norgaard and Jensen sharing around minutes. Load could cause injuries so we could see central minutes for Oksanen or Yearwood.