Thomas Frank believes there's no chance that the players will take the last two games of the season lightly, despite Premier League safety being secured in midweek. The Bees boss feels the possibility of finishing in the top ten, and their professional pride, will ensure that they give it their all in the remaining games against Everton and Leeds United. Thomas was speaking ahead of today's trip to Goodison Park and you can watch his Press Conference below.
Injury latest …
Everyone that was available last game is available again plus Sergi Canós which is positive.
Ethan Pinnock will not be ready for Everton, maybe Leeds. Saman Ghoddos is also out but Frank Onyeka trained with the team today. He is now ahead of Saman and Ethan so there’s a chance [for Leeds].
Thomas’ Manager of the Season nomination …
It’s an acknowledgement of all the great work the players and the staff are putting in. I understand I am the front man, but nobody can do it on their own. I had a meeting this morning at the training ground with all the staff and I praised everyone for doing a very good job. Our key value is togetherness and the way we do that as a club is unique. That’s why I think we are maximizing this team’s performance because every action matters from the chef to the ground staff to medical. We do well but there is more in us, and we need to push.
The margin between success and failure in this league is nothing. The margin between 20 to seven in this league is really marginal. It is a privilege to be nominated.
The demands of the Premier League season …
The toughest bit has been getting used to losing more matches. I tested the boundaries of Matthew Benham’s patience at the beginning of my time at Brentford by losing eight out of ten games but that spell where we didn’t win in nine matches was tough. The thing I am most proud of is that we are not just crawling over the line and hanging in there. If you ask any football person to analyse our performance over the course of the season, they would say it is absolutely fair and square that Brentford are in the Premier League next year.
Keeping standards up to the end …
You can say that we have nothing to play for, but we trained with the same intensity and focus today as we have all season. There are two games to be won and we can still finish top ten.
It’s still very new and exciting for us; every Premier League game matters massively. I hope that we have signed the right characters who really want to push, no matter what. If we’ve signed players who don’t want to cross the white line and 100 per cent win every time, then we’ve signed the wrong players.
The trip to Everton …
We are going to play in an unbelievable atmosphere. It will be a hostile atmosphere and I am looking forward to it massively. I believe we can win; I will be very disappointed if we don’t perform. I am expecting tension and that they will come flying at us. They will play with that extra edge and determination that you only find if you are in a position like that.
Everton have quality players. We face a very difficult task on Sunday. They have pace and individual quality up front with Richarlison and Gray.
Team selection for the final few games …
Sometimes we underestimate the difference between two players. If I play Mathias Jensen or Vitaly Janelt, who are two top players, then the difference is very small. If I suddenly play a very young player, then that can have a difference. The most important thing for me is to finish as high as possible. I need to put the best team out there and do everything I can to win. I also need to have respect for the league and to try everything we can to win both games.