Andrews finds footing ahead of Kelleher's Reds reunion

What a difference ten weeks makes.

You only have to rewind back to Sunday, 17 August to be reminded of just how nightmarish Keith Andrews' Brentford managerial debut was.

His new goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher had seen three goals flash past him as Nuno Espirito Santo's impressive Nottingham Forest put the Bees to the sword before the half-time whistle had even blown.

To add insult to injury for Andrews, whose elevation from set-piece coach to manager had been oft-dissected since he was confirmed as Thomas Frank's successor, Forest's opener in that 3-1 result came from a corner.

The 45-year-old had already been installed as the bookies' favourite to win the Premier League sack race before the campaign had begun and that unfortunate start wasn't going to help those odds.

Somewhere - sometimes in a TV studio - one could assume that Martin O'Neill was barely concealing a smirk as, in his view, Andrews was en route to proving a point he had made in June that the former Ireland midfielder would "realise what management is all about".

But as the cliché goes, if one week is a long time in football, what is ten? An eternity if this Premier League season is anything to go by.

Take Forest for example. Ironically is was Nuno who would 'win' the sack race after falling out with the club's hierarchy and they are already on to their third head coach as Sean Dyche's appointment this week followed in the wake of Ange Postecoglou's brief ill-fated spell.

In the meantime, Andrews had been trying to steady the ship at Brentford. Home form has been mostly very good, including a 2-2 draw with neighbours Chelsea and wins over Aston Villa and Manchester United, the latter of which saw Kelleher save Nathan Collins' bacon with a penalty save to deny Bruno Fernandes an equaliser.

But away games were proving an Achilles' heel. Trips to Sunderland and Fulham had ended much like the opening day loss to Forest.

Then Monday night rolled round. Coincidentally it was also a reunion with Nuno who is now tasked with revitalising a struggling West Ham.

Watching the game, the eventual 2-0 scoreline in Brentford's favour was barely representative of just how dominant Andrews' team was on the night.

Aside from winning the possession battle, they carved out 22 attempts at goal with seven on target to a woefully inept Hammers' seven and one respectively.

The aerial duels stat was particularly startling with Brentford winning 70.6% of those throughout the match and it's no surprise that they remain potent from set-pieces, lying fifth overall per Opta in their expected goals from set-plays.

Which makes Liverpool's visit to the Gtech Community Stadium in Saturday's late evening kick-off all the more intriguing.

In contrast to Brentford's growth over ten weeks under Andrews, Liverpool have stalled on the results front after making a fast start to the season underpinned by successive late winners.

Set-pieces, whether direct or from second balls, have been a thorn in their side in recent weeks with Harry Maguire the latest to exploit that weakness as Manchester United left Anfield with all three points last Sunday.

Arne Slot's side have conceded five times from set-pieces according to Opta this season, the fourth highest total overall in the Premier League so far - West Ham and Nottingham Forest ranking first and second respectively.

Coupled with their good home record and the fact that they are very much in vogue in using long throws as a weapon, Brentford will fancy their chances of trying to extend Liverpool's run without a Premier League win.

For Kelleher too, it will be a chance to prove a point. The Republic of Ireland number one finally left Anfield over the summer and has benefited from becoming a first choice at club level for the first time in his career.

Ironically, Alisson Becker, who had ensured that the Cork man would play second fiddle, is an injury absentee for Liverpool and it will fall upon Georgia's number one Giorgi Mamardashvili to take on that role of being the Reds' high-grade back-up.

While Brentford look a different side to the one that lost at Forest two and a half months ago, one area that Andrews, Collins and Kelleher will hope to improve on will be defensively.

Kelleher is joint-third when it comes to goals conceded (12) with Burnley's Martin Dubravka and Forest's Matz Sels the only goalkeepers faring worse (15), although both rank marginally better in regards to save percentage and goals prevented.

What will certainly help is if Liverpool's new-look forward line continues not to click fully.

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