Adrian Clarke moots ‘interesting’ duel in Everton clash v Brentford as ‘unpredictable’ claim made
There will be an “interesting” midfield battle in the match between Everton and Brentford, according to pundit Adrian Clarke.
The Merseyside outfit travel to West London to take on the Bees in Premier League action on Saturday (23 September).
Thomas Frank’s side currently sit 11th in the Premier League table, with Sean Dyche’s men currently sitting in 18th place.
“One of Brentford’s most underrated strengths is the rounded quality of their three-man central midfield,” Clarke wrote for the official Premier League website.
“Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt all offer plenty with and without the ball, and as a trio this allows them to freely rotate positions.
“Frank does not ask his midfielders to cover designated areas, and they are in no way fixed in their positioning. Off the ball, they hunt in packs when searching for regains, and when Brentford attack they take turns at going forward.
“All of this makes them fluid and unpredictable, so Saturday’s duel against a more structured Everton midfield will be interesting.”
Intriguing contest
Both Brentford and Everton will be disappointed with their respective starts to the new Premier League campaign. The former have won just one of their five matches so far, as well as picking up three draws and suffering one defeat.
The latter, however, are certainly in a much worse position, with just one point to their name thanks to their 2-2 draw with newly-promoted Sheffield United.
The Merseyside club lost to Fulham, Wolves, Aston Villa and Arsenal in their other matches, and now are already involved in a relegation battle.
That said, there may still be an interesting tactical battle between the two clubs in West London, particularly given how desperate they are to pick up three points.
Bees manager Frank will, however, be extremely disappointed if his players don’t turn up for a clash against a side that is really struggling, and has been struggling for quite some time.
In other Everton news, a journalist has shared a “disastrous” Farhad Moshiri verdict amid a “saving grace” claim.