Brentford's set-piece edge is no accident

Set pieces are the one phase of the game a smaller squad can prepare its way to an advantage in, and Brentford have been doing exactly that for years.

Rehearsal over improvisation

The routines are varied enough that defending them requires specific preparation, which most opponents cannot afford to give across a full fixture list.

Everyone practises corners. Not everyone practises the same corner forty times.

The return — roughly a third of their goals — is the sort of margin that decides where a mid-table side finishes.