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Over halfway through the campaign, Brentford are in dreamland.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly supporters find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A emphatic 3-0 win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a position that was good enough to secure European football last term.

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

There is a long way to go yet but Brentford are squarely in the race for European football.

No one was envisioning 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 promoted but also established them in the elite division.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

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

A season of struggle, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. But here we are in January with Brentford in the upper echelons.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Historic Campaign

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was in part 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 chomping at the bit.

Igor Thiago joined from Belgium in the summer for a then club record fee, but was plagued by fitness issues in his debut campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

The 24-year-old has set about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil 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 left to play.

"He has been a revelation," pundit an analyst said. "He is physically intimidating, fast, strong, but more skilled than people think. Good 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 pleased. That's a big compliment to him."

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

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

His first goal against the opposition was his 7th opener of the season. Given how often we are told the significance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can rely 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 consistently and the goals will – and have – come.

Considering the struggles he had earlier in life, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "This is really notable. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very nicely. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Sceptics Wrong

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

While they had key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – 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 their parts alone might not be enough to avoid relegation.

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

A maiden role is a test for anyone, especially 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 Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative 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 Brentford, it looks as if they were correct.

The new boss won just one of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and Newcastle have since occurred.

Wins that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove increasingly important in the race for Europe.

"We are in fine fettle and playing really good. We are playing with bravery and conviction in everything we do with and without the ball," he 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 little choice, because things could rapidly look very different.

But, for now, Brentford are defying the predictions. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those aspirations of the continent will become.