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Over halfway through the season, Brentford find themselves in dreamland.

With victories in five games, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A convincing three-nil win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the top flight – a place that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last term.

Only leaders Arsenal have accumulated more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There is a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the fight for European football.

Few was predicting this last off-season.

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

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was elevated to succeed Frank, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A year of struggle, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. But here we are in January with Brentford in the top five.

So, how have they managed it?

The Brazilian's Historic Season

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to circumstance, with Wissa's move not being finalized until the final day of the window.

But they also were aware they had a £30 million striker already waiting to go.

Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in July 2024 for a then club record fee, but was plagued by injury in his first campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has gone 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 English top-flight campaign.

Given the fellow Brazilians who have come before him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He is physically intimidating, quick, powerful, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are incredible. He must be so proud. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point highlights the standard he is operating at.

And it is not just the volume but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so vital for Brentford.

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

Before the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than the striker's 59.1%.

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

Considering the struggles he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to provide for his family following the passing 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," the manager said. "It is really notable. He is a really special person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to earn this path. He has worked for his journey and toiled. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is improving his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Sceptics Wrong

Their star striker is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had key individuals – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the sum of their parts.

The concern 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.

Consequently, appointing their set-piece coach, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a huge risk.

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

But given that Ipswich boss one candidate was the only other alternative that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the right man.

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

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

Wins that, following their brilliant recent run, could prove all the more important in the race for European qualification.

"We are in fine fettle and playing really good. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews added. "We are pleased with how we are going but we want to keep improving."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have no other option, because things could rapidly look very otherwise.

But, for now, Brentford are defying the predictions. And the longer that continues, the closer to fruition those aspirations of Europe will become.