Brentford manager Thomas Frank has warned his players that they could be on the receiving end of a thrashing at the hands of Manchester City this weekend.
Pep Guardiola and his players are currently in the midst of a fine run of form across competitions at the start of the new season, but face the challenge of a difficult run of games and matches facing the club twice a week for the foreseeable future.
Manchester City are currently on a run of three wins from their opening three Premier League matches at the start of the new season, following on from their FA Community Shield win over Manchester United to claim the first piece of silverware of the campaign.
Following the first international break of 2024/25, Manchester City will welcome Brentford to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon, before they take on Inter Milan in the return of the UEFA Champions League next week.
Speaking during a pre-match press conference, Brentford manager Thomas Frank was full of praise for Manchester City and particularly star striker Erling Haaland, pointing towards other teams’ attempts to ‘neutralise’ the Norwegian forward.
“A lot of teams have tried to neutralise him, he’s a great player. I think his movement in the box is the best we’ve ever seen, with the way he anticipates and times the movements with a drop of the shoulder,” said Frank.
He continued, “He’s constantly on the move in terms of where the ball is and he’s constantly focused on himself and aware, it’s top-level.
“He can play in behind, he’s not only explosive, quick and strong, but so focused to make sure he times it at the right moment. He’s a good player, for the best team in the world. We’ll do what we can to play a good game.”
Thomas Frank insisted on the respect he has for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola’s operation, going on to warn his side that should they lose focus in the match, they could be on the receiving end of a scoreline thrashing.
“We are ready for the challenge, we’ve done well against City every time we’ve played them,” Frank admitted.
“I’m so respectful because I know if you switch off you can lose 5-0. Hopefully we play good. We’re going to need a bit of luck.”
Frank is no doubt right to place plenty of attention on the form of Erling Haaland heading into this weekend’s game, with the 24-year-old on a staggering run of seven goals scored in his last three Premier League appearances.
An opening weekend strike against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was then followed up by back-to-back hat-tricks against both Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium and immediately before the international break against West Ham United away from home.
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