Jamie Carragher sends Brentford and Thomas Frank relegation message

Jamie Carragher has warned Brentford and Thomas Frank not to get complacent over the 'cushion' that exists between the club and the bottom three ahead of the Premier League run-in.

It's been a tricky season for the Bees, who have lost 15 of their 26 outings in the top flight and picked up just nine of a possible 39 points since the start of December. Frank has been without talisman Ivan Toney for most of the season while Bryan Mbuemo has been absent since early December with an injury - Yoane Wissa and Frank Onyeka were also away on international duty for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Despite the results, there have been positives for the Bees with underlying statistics showing hope. For instance, Brentford have scored 11 goals in their seven Premier League outings in 2024.

Reflecting on that after Monday night's worrying 4-2 loss to London rivals West Ham, Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Carragher admitted that 'anxiety has to creep in'. He added: "When we looked at those fixtures, since Toney came back against Nottingham Forest, I think there are only five teams in the Premier League who have scored more goals than them since that point. They've got that, which a lot of teams at the bottom don't. They've got a little cushion but that can go very quickly.

"Sooner or later, we always believe that the data or analytics will pay you back and Thomas Frank will hope that's the case over the next 12 games. I certainly think they've got enough with the striker they have and at home they are good enough to get a result against anybody."

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Brentford sit 17th in the Premier League, having been leapfrogged by Everton this week as their points penalty was reduced. The West London outfit are just five points above Luton Town in 18th and face Chelsea at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.