This was Nathan Collins at his lowest ebb. Thomas Frank said so.
Playing against the club he left in the summer, Brentford's record signing delivered a defensive performance so shoddy that it helped Wolves on their way to Wednesday’s 4-1 battering at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Within 10 seconds of kicking off after Wolves had gone 1-0 ahead, Collins played an under-hit back-pass which allowed Hwang Hee-chan to nick the ball round goalkeeper Mark Flekken and make it 2-0 after 14 minutes.
Then, in the second half, with the Bees chasing the game at 3-1 down, another lax pass, this time intended for Vitaly Janelt, was pounced upon by Matheus Cunha and allowed the Brazilian to square for Jeanricner Bellegarde to score Wolves’s fourth on a torrid evening of festive football for Brentford.
“I told him it will never be as bad as this, it is impossible — with a smile on my face, [being] ironic”, Frank said of his post-match conversation with Collins.
“He's been a very positive player for us. When he got injured, he was on a really good run of form, so it happens. Today it will be tough and tonight he will be down. One thing is for sure: it is a fact that the sun will rise again, a new day.
“I expect him to walk in tomorrow with his head high and go again. You can't sit in the corner and feel sorry for yourself because then you're lost. He's not that kind of character. It will be tough, he will never forget it! But he will come through.”
Frank’s words will have consoled Collins. The 22-year-old had played — and played well — in all of Brentford’s league matches this season, until an ankle injury saw him miss four matches in November and early December.
And he wasn’t the only defensive player to endure a nightmarish evening on Wednesday. Ethan Pinnock, Mads Roerslev and Flekken were also below-par as the Bees delivered what Frank called “one of those games that you maybe have every year.”
In moments like this, you need to show what you're made of.
Their form is more than troubling. Four defeats in a row and six defeats in seven has left them 14th in the table and just five points off the relegation zone. They have scored more than one goal in just seven of their 18 Premier League games this season.
Yet Collins and Co will rise again. They are capable footballers, coached excellently by Frank and due to get a boost when the talismanic Ivan Toney is available again after his betting ban ends on January 16.
Brentford will not be very active in the January transfer window. A full-back is expected to join, but that may be it for incomings. Instead, the Bees will stick to their tradition of keeping major signings for the summer. In the meantime, they have enough to keep their heads above the parapet this season.
“In moments like this, you need to show what you're made of”, said Frank. “This is a good club, team and squad. We have character in abundance. It is a big thing in this football world to stay calm and believe in the work we do. We need to take emotion out of it.”
