Thomas Frank: Fulham was our worst performance this season

Frank was particularly critical of his team’s quality and composure while in possession.

“We were absolutely shit on the ball,” he said.

“I don’t think we had enough quality, I don’t think we were brave enough, I don’t think we showed enough. I always blame myself first, if there was something I could have done a little bit differently, structure-wise.

“But hopefully that can trigger or reinforce that bounce back mentality. We need to come out tomorrow flying out. We want to make this right against a top team.”

It will be no easy task against 10th-placed Bournemouth. The red-hot Cherries have beaten title favourites Arsenal and Manchester City and drawn with Aston Villa in their last three games.

“I think they (Bournemouth) have been fantastic,” said Frank.

“They’re one of the most positive teams in general. Andoni (coach Iraola) has done a top job with his staff and players. They have a lot of threat going forward, with Antoine Semenyo, Evanilson, Justin Kluivert, Marcus Tavernier.”

Frank went on to emphasise the depth of Bournemouth’s attacking options, describing them as highly dynamic and capable of creating significant danger.

“I think there are six players up front, including the midfielders, who are very good,” he said. “They run a lot, play direct and pick up the second balls to run at you. So, they’ve done a good job and I’m really, really impressed.”

Luckily, Brentford can count on their impeccable home form with all 13 of their points coming at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Bees have the best home Premier League record this season, a statistic that surprised Frank.

“Is it? I didn’t know that actually,” he said.

“Hopefully we can carry that on. That’s the intention. Losing to Fulham gives us even more desire and hunger. We need the fans to be on it, all of us need to be on it for 90 minutes. It can’t be that the fans or we go quiet for 20.”

While Brentford have now dropped 14 points from winning positions, Frank dismissed concerns, adding: “The alternative is that we are behind in those games, or we just play 0-0. I like to go in front and have the opportunity to win the game.”

But when presented with another statistic, that Brentford have conceded nine of their 20 goals allowed within 10 minutes of scoring, Frank appeared intrigued.

“That’s maybe something we need to look more into if there is a pattern in that,” he said.

“We always try to score the second goal no matter where we play, even at City away. It’s not the best stat. I’ll say to concede quick is probably the thing I would like to avoid.”

After 10 games, Brentford are still yet to keep a clean sheet. Their last league shutout came 13 games ago in a goalless draw with Fulham in May.

When asked if a switch to a back-five was on the cards, Frank said: “I’ll never say no. I’ll always be open to something that can help the team. I’ve been flexible in systems over the years. So maybe, but it’s not the plan against Bournemouth.”

Frank will soon have a selection headache with the impending injury returns of Brazilian attacking duo Igor Thiago, a club-record £30 million signing from Club Brugge, and 18-year-old Gustavo Nunes. Both have not made their competitive debuts for the club.

But arguably the most important boost will come from left-back Rico Henry who is working his way back to full fitness following an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September 2023.

Since then, Brentford have been playing without a natural left-footed fullback. Frank has utilised Kristoffer Ajer and Sepp van den Berg to fill that position.

About Henry, Frank added: “We are extra cautious. We want to be absolutely sure when he puts his wonderful left foot out there on the grass that we are as sure as we can be.

“There are some strength markers we need to tick to be 100 per cent sure. If everything goes to plan, it will be a week until he can be involved in a game. We can’t wait to have Rico back.”