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More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford find themselves in dreamland.

Following four wins in five games, and a Samba striker netting 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 their manager's side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last term.

Only table-toppers Arsenal have collected more points over the past six games.

There is a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the fight for European football.

Few was predicting this last summer.

Thomas Frank 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 cemented them in the elite division.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle United respectively.

Set-piece coach Keith Andrews was elevated to replace Frank, while there was no striker among the summer signings.

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

So, how did they pull it off?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Campaign

The club's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not being finalized 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 the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by injury in his first campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

Thiago has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally 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 seventeen matches remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, fast, strong, but more skilled than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are incredible. He must be so pleased. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point underscores 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 his team.

His opener against the Black Cats was his 7th first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the importance of the first goal 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 shooting accuracy than Igor Thiago's 59.1 percent.

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

Considering the struggles he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the type 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 earn this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely complete 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 star players – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team more effective than the sum of their parts.

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

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A first managerial job is a test for anyone, let alone when it comes in the Premier League and having made the leap from specialist coach to the top job.

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

So far, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at Brentford, 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, Liverpool and the Magpies have since occurred.

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

"We are in fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews added. "We're happy 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 different.

But, for now, The Bees are beating the predictions. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those dreams of the continent will become.