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More than halfway through the season, The Bees find themselves in a dream scenario.

With victories in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A comprehensive three-nil win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was good enough to secure Champions League football last season.

Solely table-toppers the Gunners have collected more points over the past six games.

There is a significant distance to go yet but Brentford are squarely in the fight for European football.

Few was predicting this last off-season.

The former head coach had departed for Tottenham after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club promoted but also established them in the elite division.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Keith Andrews was promoted to succeed the Dane, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A season of difficulty, possibly even relegation, was widely predicted. But here we are in the new year with Brentford in the upper echelons.

So, how did they pull it off?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Campaign

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to circumstance, with one forward's move not going through until deadline day.

But they also knew they had a £30m striker already chomping at the bit.

The 24-year-old joined from Club Brugge in July 2024 for a then-record fee, but was hindered by injury in his debut campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has set about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against Sunderland taking him to sixteen league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

Considering the countrymen who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He's physically intimidating, quick, powerful, but more skilled than people think. Excellent with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. These numbers are incredible. He must be so proud. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point shows the level he is operating at.

And it is not just the quantity but the timing of the goals that have been so vital for Brentford.

His opener against the opposition was his 7th opener of the season. Given how often we are told the importance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that early opportunity cannot be underestimated.

Prior to the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1%.

He hits the target. Achieve that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Considering the hardships he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to support his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "This is really impressive. He is a really special person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Doubters Incorrect

Their star striker is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a single-player team.

While they had key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team more effective than the individual components.

The fear was that once the Dane left, that may not be the case, and that the sum of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to avoid relegation.

As a result, appointing their set-piece coach, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A maiden role is a test for anyone, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the leap from specialist coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was the only other option that Brentford looked at, they were clearly confident they had the right man.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at the club, it looks as if they were correct.

Andrews won just a single of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and Newcastle have followed.

Wins that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove increasingly important in the pursuit for European qualification.

"We're in fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with bravery and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," he added. "We are pleased with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very different.

But, for now, Brentford are beating the odds. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those dreams of Europe will become.