Brentford boss Thomas Frank says Erik ten Hag does not deserve the amount of criticism he has received.
Frank’s side take on ten Hag’s team at Old Trafford on Saturday with the Man Utd boss under serious pressure following a disappointing start to the season.
And ahead of the meeting, Frank defended his opposition head coach.
“It’s incredible how much scrutiny he’s had to face,” he said.
“As a head coach, I acknowledge how it feels to be in a situation like this. I think [the criticism] is too much.
“He’s clearly a good coach, he’s won two trophies in two seasons.
“But I understand how it is: if the team wins, the head coach is absolutely fantastic; if the team loses, the head coach is absolutely s***! Whereas it’s probably somewhere in between.
“It’s never only the head coach, or the players, or the fans, or the board – it’s a combination of all of these things.”
Brentford are two points ahead of their next opponents in the Premier League table going into the game.
But Frank insists United are still the favourites for the win: “I’ve experienced it too many times in my career. We face a team that has lost three games in a row but they come out absolutely flying.
“Then, other times, we play a team that has won five games in a row but we beat them.
“I don’t really pay too much attention to [form]. The only thing I focus on is how we can make sure we are up there and how we can do everything we can to perform and come out flying – and hopefully we score early again!
“I believe that we can go anywhere and beat any team, but I’m also aware that, when we go to Old Trafford to face Manchester United – a massive club with top players – they are favourites.
“But we need to go there with the approach and mindset that we can win.
“We try to come up with a gameplan that will optimise our chances of winning. That’s my approach to every game.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Alex Livesey/Getty Images VIA ONE FOOTBALL
