Pep Guardiola: Thomas Frank will "sooner or later" make managerial jump
Pep Guardiola and Thomas Frank. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Thomas Frank has been the staple keeping Brentford together throughout their illustrious glory years in the Premier League thus far.

Seasons with threats of relegation have been anchored by the Danish head coach, who continues to impress with smaller budgets than their Premier League counterparts. 

The Bees' meeting with Man City tomorrow is a chance to return to form following a patchy period.

However, after a torrent run in November and December, their opponents have discovered good form, winning three consecutive games. 

Pep Guardiola has constantly praised the head coach in the opposing dugout tomorrow and continued that ahead of the fixture tomorrow. 

"Tomorrow is an enormously difficult game [with] what happened in the last seasons," Guardiola commented on Frank.

"Always the teams with Thomas [Frank] create a lot out of problems, they are a fantastic team but we know what we are playing for."

Only Liverpool have a stronger home record in the Premier League than Brentford, a record which Guardiola attributed to Frank.

“A long, long time with Frank. In set pieces and high pressing they are so aggressive, when they defend deep they are so compact, and tight.

"Their transitions are really dangerous so it's many years in the Premier League doing really well. The trajectory in the last [few] years has been very good," Guardiola added.

“No news. We will decide [this] afternoon after training [whether he will play against Brentford]. I said what I said, I don’t have anything to add. It’s Brentford in my mind.”

Pep Guardiola and Frank stand together as the two longest-serving head coaches in the Premier League.

Despite the Dane's resounding success in West London, the City head coach tipped Frank for a bigger managerial job in the future.

“I said in the home game this season that I had the feeling that he is so happy there, he is comfortable," commented Guardiola.

"I have the feeling sooner or later he will be appointed with a team that fights for the higher targets and he will do it really well."

  • Form and Transfers

Pep Guardiola was hesitant to say whether his side was back in winning form after making it three wins in a row at the weekend after success against Salford. 

Guardiola said: “Well of course we won three games. Before it was impossible to win one.

"That helps us but the reality is we won the last game for the difference of the leagues, and for many reasons, we should win. We have to wait to see if we are who we are and the mood is better."

When questioned as to why his team struggled through the busy festive schedule and why the club is looking at transfers in January, Guardiola linked back to the shortages in defence.

"We had a lot of problems in the back four. It’s what I wanted [players returning from injury]. If it wouldn’t happen I wouldn’t go into the transfer window this season. We would not be in the position that we are," Guardiola added.

"But we have struggled all season, it is not just Rodri, and that is the reason why the club is thinking about what are we going to do with this transfer [window]."