Brentford FC are ahead of Tottenham and Arsenal in the Premier League table. About a promoted team that does a lot of things differently – and doesn’t just inspire Jürgen Klopp on the pitch.
For Jürgen Klopp, analysing opponents doesn’t just involve looking at match and player material, but also what happens along the way. And that’s where it happened the other day that Liverpool’s coach was watching “one of the most entertaining rounds I’ve seen in recent years”.
He was referring to the press conference given by Thomas Frank, coach of then upcoming opponents Brentford. “It was really good,” Klopp said of that press conference, then went on to praise what Frank is actually paid to do. “The football they play is unbelievable.” More than that, the whole club “is unbelievable”. “They show that even with little money you can create something very special.”
So special, in fact, that the more usual praising the opponent to the skies turned into genuine amazement some 30 hours later. “It was an absolutely crazy game,” said Vitaly Janelt, who scored against Klopp’s Liverpool to make it 2-2 at the interval. In the end, Brentford pulled out a 3-3 despite falling behind again. “You dream of moments like this when you’re a little kid,” beamed Janelt, who is one of many examples of why Brentford are about nothing like other promoted sides in England.
“Let’s see where this takes us. “
THOMAS FRANK
74 years the west London club had had to wait for first division football and needed a betting professional to return from the fourth division to the top. Matthew Benham, who became a millionaire through sports betting, freed Brentford from a debt hole and chose an approach to personnel that is usually only found in professional football in Denmark. Because FC Midtjylland also belongs to Benham.
Vitaly Janelt was sent an eight-minute video and an eight-page PowerPoint presentation in the summer of 2020, before he had an official conversation with the officials of the then second-division club. Those pages included why he, who wasn’t even a regular at VfL Bochum, should help Brentford to promotion.
“Everyone knows what they have to do, everyone is ready to go the last metre,” Klopp, for example, had said of the team that shortly afterwards conceded as many goals as Real Madrid had last conceded in the Champions League quarter-finals.
After Brentford had beaten Arsenal 2-0 to start their first Premier League season since 1947, Thomas Frank gave his team 24 hours of exuberant joy. After that, the switch had to be flipped and the focus turned to the next opponent. This 24-hour rule is meant to ensure that no one in the squad loses focus. Be it after a win or a loss, after 24 hours the past game is in the past.
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Describing his side as “confident but humble”, Frank says they are seventh in the table after seven matchdays, ahead of Arsenal or Tottenham. “I firmly believe in my players,” says the 48-year-old Dane. After two years as co-coach under Dean Smith (now Aston Villa), Frank, who had previously managed various Danish national under-23 teams and Brøndby, was promoted to head coach in October 2018 and has since managed to get out of players who often no one wanted what often no one saw.
Janelt not only saw what he did well or not so well, he was also presented with exactly what he had to contribute in the form of numbers. “If I’m not mistaken, it was six goals and six assists as a six and eight goals and eight assists as an eight.”
These scores were not calculated at random. They were based on precise algorithms and calculations that Brentford have used for years to select their new signings. “How many points do we need to get promoted? How many goals do we need to score? What’s the maximum we can concede?” That’s how Benham and co. calculate – and with success.
Ivan Toney, for example, a 25-year-old centre-forward, was loaned out year after year by Newcastle United and sold to Brentford for five million euros in 2020. He repaid the faith with 41 direct goal contributions (31 goals, ten assists) in one season, Newcastle’s total coming to 46 goals.
Janelt also flew under the radar in Germany and was immediately set in Frank’s 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 system. “We are one of the few teams that tries to play football,” he told kicker in February, when Brentford were still shaking up the gritty Championship. “It has nothing to do with ‘kick and rush’. Thomas always wants us to find a solution. It doesn’t matter if an opponent plays pressing against us or stands deep. Everyone knows what he has to do in his position.” That’s exactly what Klopp meant.
And that’s no coincidence either. Frank’s coaching staff analyses the data from every training session to ensure that no player slackens even one per cent. If Brentford lose a game because the opponent was simply better, that’s okay. “A lack of intensity,” writes The Athletic, “on the other hand, is unforgivable. “
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While Norwich are visibly heading back towards League 2 under Daniel Farke, Brentford are managing to play attractive football alongside the required intensity. “I knew we would try to be brave in all the games,” Frank said after the recent last-minute win at neighbours West Ham. “Twelve points is a lot, but I’m not setting myself any targets. We’re focused on the next game (against Chelsea, ed.) and the next training session.”
That’s the approach Frank preaches to his players too. Rejoice, fret, but tomorrow we move on. “Let’s see where it takes us” he says. “But of course we’re proud and happy with what we’ve achieved so far, and we’ve really earned it.”
I wonder if Thomas Tuchel will now also enjoy Frank’s press conference so much?
