Do Lennon's Demands Suit Brown?
A strangely economical performance against Hearts on Sunday was the latest in the new season for captain Brown. I detailed his slow, graceful but inexorable regression in my end of season review Brown: Growing Old Gracefully.
898 minutes into the new season, what has changed?
Defending
Firstly, there is continual decline in the number of challenges Brown is winning.
Both aerially and on the ground, he is winning less. He is losing around the same number of tackles as the last two seasons but aerial challenges have seen loses increase from 0.78 to 1 per 90m.
Consequently, he is winning possession back from defensive actions less often. From 5.97 two seasons ago, it is now 3.81 per 90m.
He is being dispossessed less also, suggesting overall less engagements in defensive midfield.
The defensive action success rate metric (DASR%) is my overarching measure of defensive performance:
Given his DASR% is well above any of the other central midfielders, it serves to highlight that no one else in the team does the job Brown does.
It should be noted the number of interceptions he is actioning has gone up from 1.11 last season to 2.71 this.
Ball Distribution
But on the other hand, Brown is completing more passes than last season (68.2 up from 66.7) and creating more chances (1.1 up from 0.67 per 90m).
Also, he is getting the ball forward more.
The number of Pack Passes is going back up after a big drop off last season.
Consequently, his overall Total Impect score has also increased from 37 per 90m last season to 56 this.
What Does It All mean?
I believe we can explain by considering two major factors.
Firstly, physical regression results in less physical engagement around the park – less challenges.
Secondly, we are seeing Lennon’s style tweaks impacting on Brown’s performance in two ways.
The more aggressive press that started to wane under Rodgers, is now back, and Lennon is intercepting the ball more frequently.
The message to get the ball forward quicker is evidenced by Brown’s increased Packing rates.
Whereas Rodgers asked Brown to sit deep and fill in at centre back where needed, Lennon expects him to engage in the press and to help the team get forward more quickly.
My concern is that Lennon’s style may fatigue the captain more quickly.
All the more reason to manage his time carefully and have a definite succession plan in place.