Tottenham vs Brentford: ‘Difficult’ match is ‘nice timing’, claims Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank has spoken ahead of Tottenham vs Brentford
Thomas Frank has called the visit of former side Brentford “nice timing” and told his players to be “brave” when Spurs bid to win for the first time in seven home Premier League matches on Saturday.
Only bottom club Wolves have a worse home record in this season’s top flight than Spurs, who conceded twice in the first six minutes of their 2-1 defeat to Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Saturday, when Frank questioned sections of the crowd who voiced their dissatisfaction.
“They’re out in the arena – none of us are,” Frank said, discussing a squad who are winless in five matches in all competitions but drew 2-2 at Newcastle on Tuesday courtesy of returning captain Cristian Romero’s 95th-minute equaliser.
“They need to sort it out and they can only do that together.”
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Tottenham vs Brentford
In his first season since leaving Brentford, Frank is second-favourite to Leeds United’s Daniel Farke to become the next manager in the division to leave their post following a run of two points from five league matches that has put Spurs 11th.
The Dane joined Brentford from Brondby as an assistant coach in December 2016 and endured a run of one win in 10 games after being appointed manager in October 2018, proceeding to win the Championship play-offs in 2020/21 and establish the Bees as European hopefuls in the Premier League.
“I spent almost a quarter of my life there,” said Frank, calling the game “a little more special for me” and praising successor Keith Andrews’ “small tweaks” to a squad level on points with Spurs.
“There are a lot of people I’ll see on Saturday who I haven’t seen for a long time. [There are] players I know very well. A lot of their identity is the same, which makes it difficult in many ways.
“It’s nice timing to get the three points. [We must be] sharper, quicker and have more penetration and play with intensity and be brave. We’re looking forward to it.”
Tottenham injuries: Solanke, Kulusevski update
Frank said playmaker Dejan Kulusevski and striker Dominic Solanke will not return from injury against Brentford and praised midfielder Xavi Simons and forward Mathys Tel, two new signings who are struggling to establish themselves as starters.
“The way [Tel] carries himself and the way he trains has been very good,” Frank said of the £30 million arrival from Bayern Munich.
“He’s mainly played as a nine, but I’m very aware he can play off the left. The only thing that any player can do is keep training well, keep doing everything to catch my eye and keep making it difficult for me when I make my decision.”
Netherlands international Simons cost £51.8m from Leipzig. “Xavi has trained fantastically for the last – whatever – five, six times,” observed Frank.
“[He has a] very good attitude on the training pitch, I like that a lot. We’ve played different games with different line-ups and Xavi [has been approaching] something better and better.
“Just like Matty, he has trained well, has a good attitude and we’re getting closer. He’s come on in the last four games.”
How to watch Tottenham vs Brentford: TV channel, online live stream
Spurs vs Brentford kicks off at 15:00 GMT (12:00 ET / 09:00 PT) on Saturday, December 6. The match is not being shown on live TV or stream in the UK.
Premier League fixtures this weekend
All matches start at 15:00 GMT / 12:00 ET / 09:00 PT unless stated otherwise.
Saturday, December 6
Aston Villa vs Arsenal (12:30)
Bournemouth vs Chelsea
Everton vs Nottingham Forest
Manchester City vs Sunderland
Newcastle vs Burnley
Tottenham vs Brentford
Leeds vs Liverpool (17:30)
Sunday, December 7
Brighton & Hove Albion vs West Ham (14:00)
Fulham vs Crystal Palace (16:30)
Monday, December 8
Wolves vs Manchester United (20:00)