Thomas Frank, Erik ten Hag and why Brentford's methods hold lessons for Man Utd

Lars Friis had just taken a job on Brentford's coaching staff in January 2018 when he was invited to watch an FA Cup third-round clash against Notts County alongside co-directors of football Phil Giles and Rasmus Ankersen at the club's old Griffin Park home.

The tie ended in a 1-0 loss for the hosts, despite there being 40 league places, and two divisions, between the two teams. But, more than the result, which irked the locals, it was the reaction of the two men sitting next to him that stuck in the memory of Friis.

"I thought I would see a couple of directors of football going bananas," he tells Sky Sports. "But they were totally cool and calm. I was a little bit in shock because normally, losing a game like that against a lower team, you would expect anger or disappointment."

Friis expressed his surprise to Giles afterwards. "Phil just shrugged and said that, playing the way they did and creating the chances they did, they win that game 99 times out of 100. You can do everything right, but sometimes it just comes down to pure luck."

Nearly five years later, having left Brentford to pursue challenges elsewhere, Friis saw the same reaction in reverse when invited back by Giles to watch another game, this time a 2-0 win over Premier League rivals West Ham at the London Stadium in December 2022.

"Again, I sat next to Phil, and again, he was exactly the same.

"Brentford scored the first goal: no reaction, no cheering, no nothing. They scored the second goal: no reaction, no cheering, no nothing. Win or lose, it's the same. Just cool and calm.

"I like it because it transmits calmness from the top down. And that is what Brentford are. They always see the facts and stats behind the feeling and emotion of the game."

Friis's anecdote