LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur welcome Brentford this weekend with the hosts aiming to end a winless run in the Premier League and improve their home form, in what will be a special game for manager Thomas Frank against his former club.
Frank arrived at Brentford in 2016, became head coach two years later and took them to promotion from the Championship in 2021. The Dane left the club in June to replace Ange Postecoglou at Spurs.
“Of course, it’s a little more special for me because I face Brentford, where I was for nine years,” Frank told reporters on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s game.
“Almost a quarter of my life there. I had a fantastic time there, I enjoyed every second of it.
“A lot of people I’ll see on Saturday who I haven’t seen for a long time, I used to see them every day more or less so that will be special.”
Given his obvious affection for Brentford and his history at the club, Frank was asked if he would celebrate if Spurs scored on Saturday.
“Yeah, I will. Everyone knows the respect I have for Brentford, the fans, everyone before kick-off, after the final whistle,” he replied.
“In the 90 minutes it’s all about one thing, do what we can to win the game.”
After a promising start to the season, Spurs are without a win in their last five league games, losing three, and of their five wins this campaign their only home victory came back in August on the opening day.
Brentford, meanwhile, are having difficulties on the road, losing six of their seven away games.
“It will be nice timing for us to get the three points on Saturday,” Frank said.
“There’s only one way to do that, put a good performance in there. Work on the things we are constantly working on.
“Constantly make it sharper, quicker. Not direct, but more penetration when we need to have that. Play with intensity, come out brave. I’m looking forward to the game.”
Many expected Brentford to struggle this season after they replaced Frank with an inexperienced manager in Keith Andrews, along with the departure of several key players, but they are level on 19 points with Spurs in the standings.
“I think it’s a big credit to Brentford to be brave enough to promote from within, but also to have built something over time,” Frank said.
“It’s definitely not about me, it’s about what we together built there, that consistency, stability and high performance level at this level.
“So that culture, knowing who we are, what we want to be, that was easier to continue with appointing Keith and I think he’s done a remarkable job. It is never easy to step up to your first head coach role.”
Brentford game a special one for Spurs boss Frank
https://arab.news/bnnq2
Brentford game a special one for Spurs boss Frank
- “Of course, it’s a little more special for me because I face Brentford, where I was for nine years,” Frank told reporters
- “Almost a quarter of my life there. I had a fantastic time there, I enjoyed every second of it”
Spin-heavy Pakistan hit form, but India boycott risks early T20 exit
- Pakistan face must-win group matches, leaving no margin for error in T20 World Cup progression
- Recent series wins have restored confidence, but batting volatility remains Pakistan’s biggest risk
LAHORE: Pakistan’s spin-heavy squad are in winning form ahead of the T20 World Cup, but a controversial decision to forfeit their marquee clash against India could still trigger another early exit.
Pakistan came close to withdrawing from the tournament in solidarity with Bangladesh, who pulled out after refusing to play in India, citing security concerns.
The Pakistan government eventually cleared the team’s participation but it barred them from facing India in Colombo in a blockbuster clash on February 15.
With two points for a win, a forfeit of the match will leave Pakistan with no margin for error if they are to progress as one of the top two from a five-team Group A.
It means they must win their opening game against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday and beat the United States three days later to stay in contention.
Their final group game will be against Namibia on February 18.
Captain Salman Agha said the move to boycott the India game was out of the team’s hands.
“That is not our decision. We have to follow what our government decides,” he said.
The Pakistan government has not said what their stance might be if the team were to end up facing India again in the semifinals or final. Agha was not thinking about that.
“Our job is to win, and we are capable of doing that,” he said.
Pakistan will be keen to avoid a repeat of the last T20 World Cup in 2024, where a shock super over defeat to co-hosts the United States led to them failing to get out of the group.
The side has since faced criticism for failing to adapt to the modern demands of T20 cricket, with the batting, particularly Babar Azam’s low strike rate, under scrutiny.
The criticism was fueled by Pakistan’s record last year, where 21 of their 34 T20 international wins came against lower-ranked opponents.
CONFIDENCE RESTORED
Against elite teams, the results were sobering: three losses to India in the Asia Cup and a 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand.
However, Agha believes recent performances have restored confidence.
Pakistan beat South Africa 2-1, won a home tri-series, and then completed a 3-0 sweep of an under-strength Australia.
“We’ve had good preparation by beating Australia. We have the luxury of quality spinning all-rounders like Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub.
“We’re ticking most boxes and believe we can win the World Cup,” Agha said.
The spin department has been strengthened by Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq, the latter known for his unusual, slingy action and exaggerated pause at the crease.
The pace attack is led by the experienced Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Faheem Ashraf provides seam-bowling all-round support and newcomer Salman Mirza has been impressive.
Batting remains Pakistan’s most volatile component.
When openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan provide strong starts, the side can post competitive totals, but collapses remain a constant threat.
Head coach Mike Hesson has added another layer of risk by leaving out experienced wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan because of poor form, opting instead for makeshift options in Usman Khan, Khawaja Nafay and Farhan.
For Pakistan, the ingredients for a deep run are present, but with points potentially forfeited, there is little room left for error.
