There were times when we feared the worst... but signing Eriksen had a big impact
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW CHRISTIAN NORGAARD
IF THE form Brentford have maintained into the latter part of their first Premier League campaign is surprising, then it is worth remembering that this is a club that does not do relaxing finales.
In the past two years alone, this group of players under manager Thomas Frank have, in the closing weeks of campaigns, dealt with an emotional farewell to Griffin Park, a dramatic, botched automatic promotion bid and both heartache and ecstasy at Wembley.
Christian Norgaard experienced both of the latter at the national stadium in the space of little more than a month last summer; part of the Brentford side that beat Swansea in the play-off final, then the Denmark squad whose remarkable Euro 2020 run in the wake of Christian Eriksen’s collapse came to its end in the semi-finals against England.
As he sits down with Standard Sport to look back on a landmark campaign for the Premier League newcomers, the 28-year-old is unsure whether he truly felt refreshed and ready to go again when Arsenal came to visit on the opening day of the season only five weeks later.
“It’s a good question,” he says. “[The summer] was very exhausting and mentally it was hard. Even though it was the Premier League, to get back to that focus you need. It was very emotional, with everything we went through at the Euros.”
A fizzing Brentford Community Stadium and a 2-0 victory that day, Norgaard himself scoring the second goal, did wonders for the belief of a team with almost no Premier League experience, but one that has looked at home in the division pretty much ever since, for all there has still been an element of topflight tourism for fans and players alike.
Norgaard, who was last night named Brentford supporters’ and players’ player of the year, is not a habitual shirt-swapper, but there have been exceptions for some international colleagues, as well as Tottenham’s Heung-min Son. “We played in Hamburg together when I was 17,” he says. “He was one of the players who was very kind to me, in terms of inviting me out for dinner or to play some PlayStation. It was fun to see him 10 years later in the Premier League.”
Crucially, amid the novelty, Brentford have continued to make “big statements” throughout the season, Norgaard picking out the victory at Wolves
— their first on the road — and the last-minute wins over West Ham and Watford, as well as performances against Manchester City and Liverpool “the two best teams in the world”.
“They do it very differently, though,” he says, having lined up against both title contenders. “Liverpool, it’s just attack, attack, attack and they stress their opponents so much that eventually they’ll make mistakes defensively.
“City are a bit more about keeping the ball, a lot of possession, making the opponent more tired to then attack. I remember the feeling when they went 2-0 up at the Etihad and we still had 30 minutes to go, you just felt a bit helpless out there.”
For all they impressed both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, Brentford ultimately took just one point from their four matches against the top two, but had more joy against third-placed Chelsea.
They were somehow beaten 1-0 at home by the Blues, despite a superb performance (“the last 30 minutes stand out so clearly for me, the atmosphere was insane”), and then won 4-1 at Stamford Bridge, “one of the best results in the club’s history”.
Things have not always been so rosy, though, Brentford taking one point from eight games soon after the turn of the year, and Norgaard has no problem admitting that having found getting out of the Championship so tough, he began to worry about the prospect of slipping straight back into it. “Absolutely,” he says. “There was a time when we lost 2-0 at home to Newcastle and things weren’t looking great. Of course, you fear the worst.” The signing of Eriksen (left) helped turn the tide, and Frank’s men have won seven of their 10 games since he made his first start, against Norwich, in March. “He’s had a very big impact, no doubt about it,” says Norgaard. “When you have a superstar coming into a squad, you just raise the level of all the others. He has a certain presence. It was the right thing to [sign him], but I’m still surprised how well he has done.” Plenty of people feel the same about Brentford, who stand 11th in the table and are all set for a celebratory and — most alien — relaxed afternoon when Leeds visit on the final day on Sunday. Now who would have expected that?