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More than halfway through the season, The Bees are in dreamland.

Following four wins in five games, and a Samba striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing 3-0 win over Sunderland moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a place that was good enough to secure Champions League football last season.

Solely table-toppers Arsenal have accumulated more points over the past six games.

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

No one was envisioning 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 promoted but also established them in the top flight.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and goal-scoring duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle United respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was promoted to replace Frank, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the off-season arrivals.

A year of difficulty, possibly even the drop, was forecast. Yet here we are in January with Brentford in the top five.

So, how did they pull it off?

Igor Thiago's Historic Season

The club's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to circumstance, with one forward's move not being finalized until deadline day.

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-record fee, but was plagued by injury in his debut campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

Thiago has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to sixteen league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

Considering the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He's been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He is a physical specimen, fast, 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 Europe's top five leagues to this point underscores the standard he is operating at.

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

His opener against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that first big chance cannot be underestimated.

Before the game against their opponents, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1 percent.

He finds 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 no surprise that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," the manager said. "It is really notable. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Showing Doubters Wrong

Igor Thiago is the man of the moment but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team stronger than the individual components.

The concern was that once the manager 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 twelve months at the club was seen by those outside the club as a huge risk.

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 manager's office.

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 brains trust at the club, it looks as if they were correct.

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

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

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

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just eight points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very otherwise.

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