Thomas Frank remained assured that he is trying to put ‘smiles on his players’ faces’, in what is proving to be Brentford’s worst spell of the season as the Bees look to bounce back from three consecutive losses.
Frank was talking ahead of Brentford’s home fixture against fellow London rivals, and Championship stragglers, Millwall.
Good Training Week
Despite the three consecutive defeats, Frank remained positive ahead of the Saturday afternoon showdown with Millwall, assuring fans that the squad have looked good in training.
He said:
“This week has been a good training week to train the principles into the boys that we wanted, and to get a smile into them. Going forward, we know it is a long season, so it’s about being calm, doing what we believe in, continue improving and training. We have consistency in training, and the boys are training well, they are putting in a lot of effort into it, doing everything they can to reflect on what happened last game. The style of play, we have to try to adjust and do better every day, and if we do that then we’ll be fine.”
Frank had little, to no, time in his beginning as Brentford head coach, being appointed just four days before his first game against Bristol City at Griffin Park. The Dane believes his side will benefit in adapting to his methods with a full training week, with no Championship game during the week just gone.
He said:
“In general, I think we spoke before, I stated about the lack of massive changes. We just want to improve small bits in the way we play, and I believe we need to do that on the training pitch, and I think that is always better when you have a full training week to work on that.”
Belief & Pressure
Frank alluded to the natural feeling of losing belief in defeat, however, warned his players that they must get it out of their system, with the Bees currently in the middle of a nine-game winless run in all competition.
He said:
“I think it’s natural if you’re going to have a tough spell with 3 losses, or with 3 or 9 wins in a row, then you think you’re flying and everything is a little bit easier. But I think in general after a game you need to analyse it, get it out of the system and then you’re ready to go for the next game. Every game is a new opportunity to turn things around, and the boys know that so I think there is only maybe a little bit on a Monday get it out of the system, get them out there on the grass bring some energy and smiles into them and then we can focus and look forward to the next game.”
Despite the current winless run, Frank was adamant that his players remain under no pressure, as the club look to push for promotion to the Premier League next season.
He said:
“Not under pressure, not more I would say, every time you go into a match, there is ‘pressure’ because you want to win. Of course, it’s easier when you have won a lot of games in a row, and could be potentially a little bit different when you haven’t won. When I see them in the eyes no ones afraid, nobody’s aware (of the increase in pressure). Every player, every team in every country, every league go through spells where they are struggling, and when they do that they need to show their personality a little bit more, character to want to get out of it and for me, there is only one way that is hard work and put energy into it and be consistent.”
With Brentford facing another Championship team looking for promotion to the Premier League, the Bees will want to avoid the fate they suffered in their previous two games to promotion rivals, defeats to Norwich and Bristol City, by coming out victorious at Griffin Park.
Brentford And Millwall Comparison
Millwall’s season is the exact opposite of the malaise Brentford currently find themselves in, with Millwall winning just THREE of the opening 14 games in all competitions, compared to TWO wins in their last four games.
Brentford are the exact opposite, with no win in their last NINE games in all competitions, after starting the season with SIX wins in their opening nine games.
If both teams are serious in their aspirations of playing Premier League football next season, then they will both have to tighten up defensively, with both in the top 12 in the Championship for conceding goals this season. On the other hand, both teams have absolutely no problems scoring goals, with both teams finding themselves in the top 12 for in the Championship goalscoring charts this season.
