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Over the midpoint of the campaign, Brentford are in a dream scenario.

Following victories in their last five outings, and a Samba striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A emphatic 3-0 win over Sunderland moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the top flight – a place that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last term.

Only table-toppers 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 firmly in the battle for European football.

No one was envisioning this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had left for Tottenham after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also established them in the top flight.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Specialist coach Keith Andrews was elevated to succeed the Dane, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

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

So, what is behind their success?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Campaign

The club's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until the final day of the window.

But they also knew they had a £30m striker already ready and waiting.

Igor Thiago joined from Belgium 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 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 left to play.

"He has been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He's a physical specimen, quick, strong, but more skilled than people think. Excellent with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. His statistics 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 level he is operating at.

And it is not just the quantity but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so vital for his team.

His opener against the Black Cats was his seventh first goal of a game 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 thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1 percent.

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

Considering the hardships he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "This 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 developing his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely complete centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Sceptics Wrong

Igor Thiago is the man of the moment but the team are not and have never been a single-player team.

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

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

As a result, 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 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 Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that the hierarchy 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 Brentford, it looks as if they were correct.

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

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

"We're in good form and playing really good. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with and 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 quickly look very different.

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