Frank savours Bees win but expects major test from ‘amazing’ Blackburn

By

Brentford boss Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank thinks Brentford’s excellent defensive record will be thoroughly tested in Saturday’s visit from Blackburn.

Brentford’s 2-0 win at Rotherham stretched their unbeaten run to eight matches, in which they have kept five clean sheets and only conceded three goals.


Blackburn are the Championship’s top scorers and have the division’s second top scorer Adam Armstrong in their ranks.

Frank said: “Keeping five clean sheets is massive and very difficult in this league, so the boys deserve a lot of praise.

“But we next face Blackburn, who are maybe the best offensive team (in the division) at this moment in time. I think they are amazing, so I think that could be our toughest test defensively but we’ll be ready for it.”

Strike duo Marcus Forss and Ivan Toney were both on target at the New York Stadium, with Forss making his first Championship start of the season, playing on the wing.

Frank was full of praise for the Finland international and admitted his performance had given him a welcome selection problem.

“Yes it has 100%,” he said. “Marcus deserves some praise, but also the team do in terms of helping him tonight, because he’s playing a slightly different formation.

“But what he learned and achieved is that workrate to come into our team. He worked so hard but we just know that he’s arriving in the good positions and he had two, three of the chances that we had.

“We try to play with a front three so it was still 4-3-3. Having Marcus playing to the left fits the way we like to press and Marcus can definitely do that. On top of that he is just a different type compared to Saman (Ghoddos) and Sergi (Canos) and we know he is in form and he will play more like a striker.”

Frank added: “I am very pleased with the result. I must praise Rotherham, who made it very difficult for us especially in the first half when we struggled to create something.

“Also we gave away some good opportunities for them, but we hung in there and played a lot behind Rotherham. In the second half I thought we were in control more or less throughout and scored two very good goals.

“It was a very pleasing performance with again a lot of attitude, hard work, and togetherness, but I still expect us to get another level in terms of on the ball we need to be better.”