Man City coaching appointment and transfer decisions could soon pay dividends

Manchester City will have a fair idea of what awaits them at Brentford this weekend. The Bees made set-pieces such a big weapon in their armoury that they gave their set-piece coach the top job when Thomas Frank left for Tottenham.

Little has changed in that regard since Frank's departure. Brentford still seek an edge from dead-ball situations, and they put teams under immense pressure, particularly at the Gtech Community Stadium. Their long throws are probably the best in the Premier League.

So City will be determined to limit those opportunities to threaten on Sunday. In a season being defined by set-pieces and long throws, this will represent a serious test.

But then City have already passed one of those, at the Emirates, when, despite the draw and the back-foot nature of their performance, they looked secure against Arsenal's corner barrage.

There are a couple of reasons to believe City have the tools to cope with set-piece threats now, which could prove to be a major boost to their chances of success this season.

The first is James French, the set-piece coach who arrived from Liverpool this summer. While a set-piece coach's effectiveness is often judged by the number of goals scored in such scenarios, they also work on defending them, and French will have spent plenty of time analysing Brentford's approach and devising ways to stifle it.

You will see French on his feet every time City face a corner, an attacking free-kick, or a throw-in. He is not just checking that the players have got the plans right but also looking out for anything Brentford are doing that he feels his own team needs to react to.

French made a positive impression during the Club World Cup. Ilkay Gundogan might have since left the club, but he