Brentford: Opposition View

Saturday evening at Anfield sees Liverpool look to continue their winning streak when they take on Brentford The West London outfit have built upon their impressive debut season in the Premier League and are almost certain to finish this campaign in the top half of the table.

When you come up to the top flight, two of the key elements of survival and then building from that base are a top goalkeeper and someone who can consistently score goals. And in David Raya and Ivan Toney they have two of the best in their position and surrounding them are players with emerging talent and those who are underrated and play their role with a minimum of fuss.

Fanzine writer and @beesotted podcast host Dave Lane talks about the fine job that Thomas Frank has done with his squad and why there will only subtle changes to their squad in the summer.

We have often seen newly promoted teams have a highly impressive first season in the top flight only to come undone in a case of ‘second season syndrome.’ Brentford have certainly bucked that trend as you have already surpassed your points total from the last campaign and look set for a top 10 finish. In what areas do you feel that you have improved on from your first campaign?

Firstly, it has been proved statistically that ‘second season syndrome’ is a myth, however, what is true is that promoted teams, especially ones without bags of Premier League experience, will often find it difficult to cope over a nine month season as they get to grips with the demands of facing quality opposition on rotation. We’ve done particularly well, with the players and coaching staff keeping performance levels consistently high and, whenever they’ve dipped and taken a heavy loss, Brentford have learned from the experience instead of dwelling on the negatives. Ben Mee has undoubtedly been an incredible signing for us and has played a central part in improving our organisation in defence and is a calm, experienced head when we have our backs to the wall in matches.

The fine job that Thomas Frank with your club has done cannot be understated. It seems that historically big clubs are looking more at emerging managers than just those with glittering resumes. So if a club like Tottenham come knocking in the summer, are you confident that he will knock them back and continue the job he started with the Bees?

We are confident Thomas is going nowhere in the short to medium term, he’s a intelligent, wise and well-grounded man who has said on many occasions that he knows that the happiness and positive environment he enjoys at Brentford is worth its weight in gold. He would have seen what happened to Graham Potter too and the hero to villain transformation in such a short time at Chelsea – Thomas may well get tempted away at some stage after ten years in the job, perhaps to a top club in England or Europe, but more likely to the Danish national head coach role.

Over the years some clubs have found it increasingly difficult to find a player to replace a departing star. When Ollie Watkins departed to Aston Villa, you signed Ivan Toney to fill his boots and he seemingly hasn’t missed a beat. Can you talk us through his development with Brentford and his ability to just focus on the job at hand and block out any out outside noise this season?

It’s been a conveyer belt to be honest… Andre Gray to Scott Hogan to Neil Maupay to Ollie Watkins to Ivan Toney with Kevin Schade already in place and learning the ropes if and when Ivan leaves. Toney is a remarkably focussed and driven individual, and to have scored so consistently in the top flight and played for England recently shows he’s a special talent. None of us are quite sure if, or when, a ban may be imposed because of his betting allegations, but set against that dark cloud, Toney’s done brilliantly. Again, the environment at Brentford, where the players and coaches are humble and grounded is key.

While Toney rightly gets a fair bit of the acclaim, it takes more than just one player to get reach your current level. Can you perhaps talk about a couple of players that you feel deserve to be highlighted for their good form this season?

Mattias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt are two players who have had excellent seasons in midfield, and are often overlooked. Jensen has worked tirelessly this campaign, tackling back and delivering slick passes to wide areas, whilst Janelt is a workhorse that provides more defensive cover but also works his proverbial off to intercept and break the lines.

Your away record has on paper looked very respectable indeed beating Man City and Chelsea while getting honourable draws at Brighton and Arsenal. With that said and the fact that you currently have the most draws in the division (14), what sort of player(s) will you hoping the club sign in the summer to take you to the next level?

I can run out a list of ten of those draws where fine margins would have seen us either hold out for a win or turned a draw into a victory…. Brentford will be using the summer months to simply fine tune and work on those areas I believe. A lot also depends if David Raya our goalie is tempted away, he plays a key role in how we build from the back and his passing skills are second to none.

On Saturday evening, you play Liverpool at Anfield a big challenge for any visiting team. In early January Brentford set the tone for a dismal start to 2023 for the Reds with a deserved victory. What sticks in your mind about that win and is there any weaknesses you think you can exploit?

That was one of the pinch yourself moments from a special season when the final whistle blew – we really troubled Liverpool from corners and with our strength and pace and we will need to replicate those levels of performance. Tottenham showed last week that your defence can be got at and it will be noted where we can get at you. Although we also know you can demolish teams, as you did against Manchester United. We have to get it right.

What is your score prediction for the fixture?

I think there could be a point at least up for grabs, maybe all three if a lot of things go our way. Three home games in a week rarely all end in wins.