When Erik ten Hag walks through the hallways of the Gtech Community Stadium and into the away dressing room on Saturday night, he can be forgiven for feeling nervous or anxious.
Last time he took Manchester United there, he witnessed a complete humiliation: four first-half goals saw his team, led by Cristiano Ronaldo and anchored by David de Gea in goal, ripped apart.
Ten Hag was fired two games into his Premier League career, with United humiliated and at the bottom of the league table. The spotlight was dazzling only 180 minutes into the season.
'We are watching the annihilation of Manchester United,' a furious Gary Neville declared.
'I expected United to do better, but they've been mauled, bullied, and screwed around like you wouldn't believe, and there's nowhere to hide.'
He wasn't finished there.
"I have been watching United for 42 years and can't remember a time when things were as bad as they were in the first half."Today represented a new low. Manchester United appears to be capable of exceeding prior lows on a consistent basis. When is the lowest low likely to occur? The reality is, this is extremely horrible.
MUST, the club's Supporters' Trust, was equally displeased, going so far as to issue an official statement following the defeat.
'What we saw tonight was an embarrassment - nay, a humiliation - for Manchester United supporters. However, in many respects, it was not surprising. That pay-off demonstrated how far United had fallen.
Even after only two games, it was a watershed moment for Ten Hag and his management. How will he react? The answer: a day off was quickly cancelled. Brentford ran 13.8km more than them, so players would have to compensate.
Ten Hag also went the distance, demonstrating that he, like the players, was equally accountable for the shame. That gained favour in the dressing room. It was unusual, but it worked, as United went on to defeat Liverpool 2-1 in their following game.
'It's easy to play pre-season; you play for nothing, but when you play important games, you need bravery, consistency, and to be proper players,' De Gea remarked after Brentford, before accepting responsibility for his own individual blunders.
'In my situation, it wasn't the case today, therefore I need to keep working. Keep your head up and work together as a team. We have a lot to learn from our new manager.'
Fast forward 19 months, and Ten Hag is still under scrutiny, despite having a trophy and the opportunity to play in back-to-back FA Cup finals. That is the life of a Manchester United boss.
He returns to Brentford with a slew of new players, including a new custodian in Andre Onana, who can play out from the back as Ten Hag wishes, with the euphoria of stopping Liverpool's quadruple ambition still fresh.
There will be no Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, or Fred, as Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are sidelined, and Christian Eriksen is out of favour. United, at least in terms of personnel, has a completely different make-up.
United cannot afford setbacks at this point in the season. They cannot take a one-step-forward, two-step-back attitude with their Champions League ambitions hanging in the balance.
They are now nine points behind fourth-place Aston Villa and six behind fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur. With the possibility of finishing fifth and earning a Champions League slot - England could be given an extra space depending on their UEFA coefficient - it is time for Ten Hag and his players to demonstrate their development.
Lisandro Martinez is a completely different player than he was at Brentford; Alejandro Garancho was an unused substitute that day but is now one of United's most important players; Kobbie Mainoo's confidence is sky high after making his senior international debut for England; and Marcus Rashford and Antony will hope their goals against Liverpool provide a springboard to finish the season on a high note.
Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are keeping a close eye on Ten Hag's every move, and while short-term results are unlikely to convince them, repeating the humiliation of their last trip to Brentford could do irreparable damage to his chances of being manager.
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