“We have stopped the bleeding, but now we need to progress again” — Thomas Frank wants to continue progressing in Saturday’s Swansea meeting
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank wants his side to “progress” after a spirited display against West Brom on Monday night. The Bees looked set for their fourth consecutive defeat, but Lewis Macleod rescued a point with a 91st minute equaliser at the Hawthorns.
Swansea make the trip to Griffin Park on Saturday and, although Monday’s draw provided some much needed confidence, Frank made it clear that the Swans won’t be easy.
“Tuesday morning when we were in, you could say that it felt like a win,” Frank said. “After the bad spell, against a good side and being away from home, it was a really good feeling.
“But now we need to add to this performance. We need to go forward again. We have stopped the bleeding, but now we need to progress again.”
Frank was full of praise for his opposition — Swans boss Graham Potter — speaking particularly highly of his achievements in Sweden. The duo encourage a similar style of football at their respective clubs, and Saturday’s meeting should be “a good game of football.”
After a difficult run of games — Frank still only has one Championship win to his name since taking over from Dean Smith — the Bees now face sides in a similar position to them in the table.
“The only thing I am honestly thinking about is the game against Swansea and everything we can do to get three points,” Frank said when asked about the busy Christmas period, in which Brentford play seven league games throughout December.
“I don’t think it ever helps to look too far ahead and as a player or a coach it’s very difficult not to do that, but the last two weeks definitely showed that there is only one thing to focus on and that is the training tomorrow.”
After boos echoed around the stadium during their 3-2 defeat to Sheffield United, the fans won’t take too kindly to another defeat as it drags Brentford further into the relegation battle. It’s something they hope to avoid against a consistent Swansea side.
“We have a strong belief and we believe we can go and get three points, but we need to understand that every game we play in the championship is so even and we are playing against a relegated Premier League team. But, I expect us to dominate both on and off the ball.”
Featured photograph/Adam Le Roux