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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 spoke positively in the USA about how French "explains things in a very simple way" and that had gone down well with the squad.
The other reason for City's bullishness in dealing with Brentford's approach is the £26million signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain. For all the questions about Donnarumma's footwork, his goalkeeping remains world-class, and he proved at Arsenal that he can dominate a six-yard box.
Donnarumma has the presence, strength, and height to come for balls sent in close to him, and if he continues to control his territory in the way he has been doing, then he will be a major weapon in dealing with set-piece threats.
In fact, the City squad in general now has the power and physicality to dominate in both boxes. Erling Haaland has been electric in front of goal this season, but it hasn't gone unnoticed inside the Etihad that he has become a workhorse defensively as well, regularly winning headers inside his own penalty area or sending huge clearances back into the opposition half.
Add in the likes of Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Rodri, and City have plenty of players capable of winning headers in their box. So while Brentford will seek to unsettle them on Sunday, there is every reason to believe that the Blues will have the answer.
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