Keith Andrews is not particularly interested in becoming Arsenal’s unlikely hero but Brentford’s fearless approach has created a side fully convinced they can impact the Premier League title race.
Manchester City have little margin for error when Brentford arrive on Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports, with Arsenal supporters desperately hoping the visitors can land a damaging blow on Pep Guardiola’s side.
But Brentford have ambitions of their own. A first-ever European qualification remains within reach and that, rather than anything else, is what drives Andrews.
Saturday 9th May 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
“The narrative around last week’s game was all around West Ham and the fight to stay in the league,” he tells Sky Sports. “I was pretty firm then that I don’t really care about that, to be blunt.
“I care about us and what we’re trying to do and it’s similar this weekend. I obviously know the effect that it can have, the result whichever way it goes, but we’ve got our own agenda to take care of.”
But what exactly will give Arsenal supporters hope of a title-defining upset at the Etihad Stadium?
“The edge that we play with I really, really like,” says Andrews. “I like watching us. I really like watching us.
“We’re a team that respects the opposition, respects the level, respects what you need to do to get results in the league. But equally we have this feel of we will go toe-to-toe with any team in the league.
“We’re in a decent run of form. We’re playing pretty well. We’re still playing with a lot of energy and personality, which I like. And we’re just starting to get one or two players back in to help the core players that have done really, really well over the last few weeks when the squad has been a tad light.”
Keith Andrews (right) is aiming to derail Pep Guardiola’s title bid
Typically for Brentford, though, much of the outside focus remains on their opponents rather than themselves.
“We don’t really need to shout things from the rooftop, I don’t think the club ever has and I quite like that,” says Andrews, who has quietly and impressively taken the west London club to the brink of club history.
“We just like to go about our business in a pretty understated way in a league where we want to be really ambitious and go to places like Man City and show real bravery.”
Perfect timing, then, with three matches remaining to take the club where it has never been before despite a summer of major change. “We’re in a scenario where a lot of people wouldn’t have felt we would be,” says the head coach that was overseeing set pieces this time last year.
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Pep Guardiola says all Manchester City can do is win their games to keep the pressure on Arsenal ahead of their game against Brentford.
Andrews started the season as the bookmakers’ favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked. A 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on the opening day only shortened those odds, yet Brentford have steadily grown stronger ever since.
“As painful as it was, I could quickly put that in a box because I realised where we were at that stage of the journey.
“There was so much change in the summer. A little bit of uncertainty around how the season would go.
“I was pretty confident that we could have a successful season and strive towards something. But the players deserve so much credit for their approach towards everything which I have done and the way they’ve embraced the league, the way we have formed as a new team. It’s been really impressive.”
The impact of his striker Igor Thiago with 22 league goals and only behind Man City’s Erling Haaland in the scoring charts has been huge. The Brazilian may just fall short of the golden boot in his first full season but for him to “be in this conversation highlights to everybody what a special season he’s had”.
Andrews describes his first season as head coach as a “constant learning curve” but what once looked like a potentially punishing campaign now carries the possibility of becoming an historic one.
Questions about Europe may have started to become repetitive for Andrews, but they are a measure of how far they have come.
“There’s three tough games left but the fact that everybody keeps asking me about that is obviously a nice thing and we can still achieve something pretty special.
“I’m proud of the journey we’ve been on as a team because for me we are the essence of a team. The outcome for us is always the sum of our parts, not one individual, not one member of staff, not one player.”
Whether they end up shaping Arsenal’s title hopes or making history for themselves, Andrews’ Brentford have already established exactly what they are about.
Watch Man City vs Brentford on Saturday Night Football live on Sky Sports, kick-off 5.30pm
