Keith Andrews says Brentford are not content with their position and must embrace the challenge of facing Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Keith Andrews has urged Brentford to embrace the challenge of facing Manchester United at Old Trafford as the Bees look to keep pushing in the race for Europe.
Brentford travel to Manchester on Monday night at the start of a demanding final run that also includes away games against Manchester City and Liverpool, as well as home London derbies with West Ham and Crystal Palace. That schedule gives Andrews’ side a difficult finish, but also a clear opportunity to prove they can stay competitive against sides with plenty still to play for.
Speaking ahead of the game, Andrews said Brentford are “very aware” of United’s strengths and the quality they possess, but his wider message was about opportunity rather than caution.
“It’s an amazing game for us,” Andrews said. “We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but we’re not content with where we are and we want to keep pushing.”
That line captured the balance in Brentford’s situation. They have done enough across the season to remain involved in the European conversation, but recent draws have left them needing wins to turn that position into something more substantial.
Andrews suggested the performances have generally deserved more than the results have delivered. He said Brentford have been “closer to victories than losses. We are pretty honest with our appraisal. The players discuss it brilliantly amongst themselves in terms of how we can fine tune parts of our game. Performances levels overall have been pretty good".
That self-assessment is important going into Old Trafford. Brentford have often been competitive without quite converting strong spells into decisive results, and the next step is to make those margins count in a run where every dropped point can change the European picture.
Andrews also spoke about what the fixture means as a test for his players. Old Trafford, he said, is “a special place to play football”, and the kind of stage where players should want to measure themselves. He also praised the work being done by Michael Carrick, saying United are playing “some really good football”.
For Brentford, the challenge on Monday night is clear. United need two more wins to confirm Champions League football for next season, while Brentford need points to stay in the mix for the remaining European places. The reverse fixture showed what Andrews’ side can do, with Brentford beating United 3-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium earlier this season, but the return match comes with different pressure.
Andrews’ final message was that Brentford should meet that pressure directly. He described it as a game they should “attack and embrace”, which neatly sums up what is required. Brentford have given themselves a chance over the course of the season. Now they need to make that chance count.