In the first of two exclusive masterclasses, Brentford manager Thomas Frank looks back on his team’s Premier League bow in August 2021. After sealing promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history through the playoffs just a few months earlier, Brentford began life in the top flight with a fully deserved win over Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

Using the 3-5-2 formation upon which his team's promotion push was built, Frank set Brentford up to attack opponents starting their campaign with ambitions of a return to European competition. Here, Frank talks us through the win, the reasons behind his team’s aggressive approach, why he likes to set his team up to “take risks”, his reasons for converting winger Sergi Canós into a wing-back, and how this performance convinced him that Brentford could compete in the Premier League.