Thomas Frank wants one final effort from the players as we try and secure a top ten finish in our maiden Premier League season. Unlike The Bees, Leeds United's fate is out of their hands, going into the final day in the final relegation spot on goal difference. Speaking on Thursday, Thomas told the press that he is expecting the players to put on a show for the fans ahead of the summer break.
Team News …
The squad from Everton will be fully fit. Ethan Pinnock will not make it for this game; he is not far away but there’s no point rushing him back.
Frank Onyeka is training so he could join the squad. It is too early for Saman Ghoddos.
Ending on a high …
I think our fans will be on it. In many ways it has been a remarkable season for us. There has been a lot to celebrate and now they need to cheer us on for the last time this season. I am pretty sure they can’t wait. Hopefully we can give them a good performance. I think this is one of the reasons we love football, because it means so much to people. Brentford fans will be ready to celebrate and have a party on Sunday. Hopefully, we can give them one last match performance.
The players train very hard, and I can’t see them taking their foot off the gas and not going max power on Sunday. There can be that little bit of freedom but when you cross that line you go into match mode and want to win.
Facing Leeds …
I think they suit the Premier League; I will not say they suit it more than Everton and Burnley. If anyone picked their Premier League top 20 from history, I’m pretty sure they would pick Leeds. I don’t think they’d pick Brentford. I know we will focus on trying to win it, as we have done any other game. We have a chance to go top ten so we will do that. We will come with everything.
Leeds United …
They still want to be aggressive and press forward which was Jesse Marsch’s style of play at Leipzig. Marcelo Bielsa’s style of play is very aggressive and pressing orientated but when they play on the ball, they play extremely quick. A lot of other teams have similar styles of play, but it is more on the defensive side of play where there is a lot of man marking. I haven’t seen any other manager doing it like Bielsa and that’s why he’s a big inspiration for both me, and a lot of other coaches across the world. Jesse Marsch still wants to press and combine but it is a little bit more zonal. They wait a little bit more now for the right moment and then they go.
Christian Eriksen’s future …
I am convinced that there is a good chance he will wear a Brentford shirt [next season]. I know I am optimistic, but I am also the one who picked up the phone and asked him to come to Brentford. For us, it is a win-win. He helped the team and gave something to the fans that they had never seen before at this level. We helped him back to his football life.
For Christian it is a win-win. He either signs with us and everyone is going to be happy, and the fans will build a statue outside the stadium in three years’ time, or he will go to a bigger level and the fans will applaud him.
I tell him I will give him a hug and a kiss every day. I’m not sure that’s going to work. There’s no doubt that he lifted the way we play. I think the way we play, our environment, and the role he is given, gives him an opportunity to flourish and play his best game. He is in a club where he enjoys going to work every day and I still think you can be extremely ambitious playing for us. He can be the main guy, running the show.
Christian Nørgaard …
I think he’s been crucial to the way we’ve performed. It shows it was even more impressive what we did last season without him but equally how impressive it was what Vitaly Janelt did. In that number six position, Christian is so clever in terms of finding the right defensive positions with our clear principles. There are then a lot of other situations where he will take decisions and he does that fantastically. In the transitions both ways, his way of timing tackles is second to none which is why he has all these high numbers in terms of tackles and interceptions. On the ball, he is a brilliant passer, playing through the lines, and this year he’s contributed with goals. He is, of course, a leader as well.
Julian Jeanvier …
Julian Jeanvier deserves a lot of praise for what he gave to this club. Before his injury he was vital to us, especially the first season that I took over. When he came back, he gave us stability and was the rock in the defence. Sometimes we only remember the Play-Off Final, but we need to remember there were a lot of steps before that and he played a big part in us arriving there. He was a strong character who pushed the boys. His relationship with Said Benrahma and Bryan Mbeumo was like a big brother who looked over his two little brothers. He helped the team and the club a lot.
Building for next season …
Sometimes it frightens me because you dwell on things for one night and then you want to improve the team. It is just relentless how you constantly push with what you can do in pre-season to be physically better or train something into the team, or how you can recruit players to make the team better. That’s fantastic but sometimes you think if you will ever have a break.
Jake Daniels coming out …
I think it’s fantastic. He is a very brave young man. The world is a beautiful place but not a perfect place. I truly believe that this will help a lot of other people to understand.