Brentford Head Coach Marinus Dijkhuizen said the behind closed doors friendly against Tottenham Hotspur was a good game for his team.

The Bees were beaten 2-1 by the Premier League side on Wednesday lunchtime.

Spurs scored two penalties, one in each half, while Brentford’s goal came from Jermaine Udumaga at the death.

Both teams used more than 20 players with Tottenham including some of their biggest names – Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose among others.

Marinus spoke to www.brentfordfc.co.uk after the match and said it was a good fitness exercise as his players had to do a lot of off-the-ball running.

He added his team had to defend well and he could identify when his players found it easier.

Marinus said the communication in his team was at its best in the early stages of the second half and that was also their best spell.

He said: “This was a very good game for us. There was lots of quality in the opposition, we had to do a lot of defending and off-the-ball running. It was very good for fitness.

“We didn’t have a lot of the ball, which meant we could see defensive organisation. There was a big difference in the first half of the second half. There was more talking in the second half, more coaching each other as a team.

“The first half was very difficult, there were lots of chances against us. The second half was much better than the first half.

“The players have to help each other and be in touch with each other. We were more organised and compact than in the first half. There wasn’t a lot of coaching between the players in the first half, it made a difference in the second half.

“It is important in football to talk. We have spoken before that some of our training sessions that it is quiet on the pitch. There are good examples today that we can show tomorrow, the difference between the first half and the second. It makes life easier.

“There are things we can do to make players talk and we will do those exercises.”

Brentford won their first two pre-season matches – against Sporting Clube Farense and Boreham Wood – and have three more to come.

They face Stoke City at Griffin Park tomorrow, Saturday 25 July, Luton Town on Tuesday, 28 July, and Norwich City next Saturday, 1 August.

Marinus said he was happy with the schedule and could see his players coping with a higher quality opposition.

He also said it would be great to get his first taste of Griffin Park tomorrow.

“I like the schedule we have,” said Marinus. “The first two games we had a lot of the ball, now we have some tough games with quality opponents. We lost 2-1 but the defeat was bigger.

“For me these games are instructive. I can see how the players are doing. We learn from games. The picture is getting brighter.

“I am happy to play Stoke and Norwich, we need these games. We need to improve things but that is normal. I am happy with that.

“It will be nice to play at Griffin Park. It will be nice to get on the pitch. I am looking forward to it.”