Daniel Farke would be surprised to get another apology from a Championship rival after Norwich City’s trip to Brentford.
Farke revealed on Monday Birmingham counterpart Aitor Karanka had made a brutally honest admission regarding his ultra-defensive strategy in the Canaries’ recent 1-0 home win.
The Blues packed their defence at Carrow Road, in a bid to frustrate Norwich, and were on course for a point until Mario Vrancic’s 87th minute winner.
Given Brentford top the Championship scoring charts, and new recruit Ivan Toney is joint top scorer in the division, Farke is not expecting City need to go looking for the Bees.
“Against Birmingham, Aitor said to me after the game, ‘Sorry, we just tried to survive. You were much too good for us and we were happy to travel back with a 0-0 or a 1-0,’,” said Farke. “Brentford is such a fantastic possession side but I wouldn’t say that makes it an easier game for us if the opponent plays a bit higher.
“We are not afraid of possession, we like to dominate the game. In theory the more we have the ball the better we can control this game and prevent Brentford from creating too many scoring chances.”
Toney is an obvious dangerman, after seven goals in seven Championship appearances since his reported £5m move from Peterborough to fill the void left by Ollie Watkins.
“It is not a big surprise for me. He has shown he can score goals, although on a different level,” said Farke. “He came into a settled environment and a team that knows it’s job, a team who are dominant in possession and create many chances. I was sure it would be a perfect fit. He showed this early in the season, which is great for the confidence.
“Maybe no one thought he would nearly be in double figures already, so to control him in our box is a big topic. He looks a fantastic replacement for Watkins. I am not sure even he would have been there with seven goals at this stage. I don’t want to speak too much about their attacking players.
“I would rather speak about mine. No Adam (Idah) but Jordan (Hugill) and Teemu (Pukki) have scored goals already this season.”
Idah is suspended after his rush of blood in the closing stages of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Wycombe. The Irish youngster replaced Hugill in the second half, but Farke is pleased with the early season impact of his bustling striker at both ends of the pitch.
“You can’t compare Jordan with Teemu or someone like Emi Buendia. They are all different,” he said. “I don’t judge them from game to game. I trust my players. I was not over the moon when he scored that penalty at Rotherham or when he didn’t score against Wycombe. When he is on the pitch he is greedy to score.
“Jordan is a guy you can count on. He shows excellent body language, he is great for the team spirit in the dressing room.
“Also he is important defensively on corners. We have not conceded one goal yet from that area, which was a problem for us last season. I don’t judge a player solely by goals and assists.”
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