Thomas Frank Discusses Team Updates, Away Form, Schade’s Confidence, and Aston Villa Match

Brentford manager Thomas Frank addressed the media in advance of Wednesday’s Premier League fixture against Aston Villa, scheduled for a 20:15 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press conference, beginning with team news: He stated, “Unfortunately, Mathias Jensen got a minor hamstring injury, so he will be out Wednesday and unlikely to play on Saturday. The rest should be available.” Addressing a query regarding the difference in Brentford’s home and away performance, Frank responded, “No, not really. We don’t do too much different in what we do away and at home. It’s not like we go super offensive and then super defensive or less high pressure. We try and do more or less the same. I still think it’s early days. The run of away opponents we have had is part of the reason it could be obscured one way. The biggest thing is we’ve performed relatively well away from home, except the Fulham game. I’m happy overall and I’m hoping for three points at Villa tomorrow.” Regarding midweek Premier League matches, he commented, “Of course players can play 90 minutes three times in a week, no problem. It’s the problems after that. It’s the balance of using your squad that could be using your substitutes, taking players off around 60, 70 minutes if you can do that.” When asked if Kevin Schade’s confidence had increased following his hat-trick against Leicester City, Frank affirmed, “Definitely, we all need to have a sliding door moment in life when you say, ‘I’m probably a good footballer’. Hopefully he knew that already. He was so good, three goals and an assist and his work rate. For him, a little bit of extra confidence will be amazing for him. We aren’t the only club where the team is happy to see their team-mate succeed. We have a rare culture. They really, really care about each other. Everyone was so happy for him, they know what it means.” Discussing Brentford’s recently launched initiative to provide reduced ticket prices for younger supporters, he stated, “I’m very happy that we’ve reduced prices for younger fans, home and away. It’s a fantastic scheme I can only praise the leadership. We want the new generation to really experience that home and away experience and create a great habit. It’s the greatest game in the world and to be a fan and follow your team home and away is a fantastic thing.” Reflecting on their previous encounter with Aston Villa, Frank remarked, “It was quite a crazy game. Last time it was 3-3. Maybe the two teams fit each other. It’s quite exciting and both teams want to take initiative. Hopefully, it will be an entertaining game and we get a win.” Addressing Brentford’s current standing of 20 points from 13 games, he concluded, “I’m a dreamer and of course I’m aware and it’s important for the fans to dream and of course we should to, but we need to focus on the next game and what is ahead of us, so many things can change.”