Thu 02 December 2021, 12:30
Tottenham HotspurPierre-Emile Hojbjerg will run into some familiar faces this evening - none more so than Brentford’s Head Coach, Thomas Frank.
The Danish connection will be in full force with Pierre possibly lining-up against international team-mates Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard and Mathias Jorgensen in this Premier League clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (7.30pm).
Pierre has been capped 52 times now by his country and his career has no doubt been followed with interest by the man whose team we face later, Frank, who was in charge of the midfielder’s early days in Danish international colours.
“I’ve known Thomas since I was 13, 14-years-old, so, just over 10 years,” said Pierre. “The first time we met was when I joined the youth national team. We had trials and the 40 or 50 best boys of the Under-15 generation played in a tournament to form the national team of the Under-16s. That was the first time I met him.
“He was my national team coach at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19s, then he became first team manager for a team in Denmark (Brondby IF). Our paths on the pitch then split, but we’ve stayed in contact over the years, and I have great respect for him.
“His way of thinking about football and analysing football is very technical, very detailed. He’s also very open-minded, always wants to explore, wants to do better, to try and achieve the next step. He’s also very aware of the human side of his players, his surroundings and that makes him a nice person to be around.”
Pierre faced Frank last season, and it turned into a painful night as he was on the wrong end of a rash challenge - Josh Dasilva sent off - as we overcame the Bees 2-0 in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.
Frank, who joined Brentford as assistant to Dean Smith in 2016, and was then promoted to Head Coach in October, 2018, has since guided Brentford to promotion into the Premier League for the first time. Indeed, this will be our first meeting in England's top flight.
Brentford have impressed so far. Kicking-off the season with a storming win over Arsenal, they’ve also beat West Ham (2-1, away) and pushed Liverpool (3-3) and Chelsea (they actually lost 1-0) to the limit and currently sit 11th, despite a recent run of five without a win, halted with a 1-0 victory over Everton at the weekend.
“Brentford need big respect,” added Pierre. “They are doing really well, they are well organised, good players, good spirit. They have this energy that you know coming up to the Premier League, they are excited.
“It will be a tough game. We are prepared, we are hungry, and we want to keep pushing. This is an opportunity for us, Brentford will think the same and we have to show that this is for us.”
