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

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

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

Only table-toppers Arsenal have gathered more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There's a significant distance to go yet but Brentford are firmly in the race for continental football.

No one was predicting this last summer.

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

Club captain 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.

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

A season of difficulty, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. Yet here we are in the new year with the club in the top five.

So, how did they pull it off?

Igor Thiago's Historic Campaign

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to circumstance, with one forward's move not being finalized until deadline day.

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

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

Thiago has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club 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 17 games remaining.

"He's been a breath of fresh air," pundit an analyst said. "He is a physical specimen, fast, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. His statistics are fantastic. 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 Europe's top five leagues to this point shows the level he is operating at.

And it is not just the volume but the timing of the goals that have been so important for his team.

His first goal 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 rely on to take that first big chance 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 the striker's 59.1%.

He finds the target. Do that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Given the struggles he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to support 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 credit for the type of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "This 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 worked for his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely complete centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a single-player team.

While they had star players – a host of talent – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team stronger than the sum of their parts.

The fear 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 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 challenge for anyone, let alone 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 Kieran McKenna was the only other option that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the correct candidate.

To date, 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 significant home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and Newcastle have since occurred.

Results that, following their excellent recent run, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for Europe.

"We are in fine fettle and playing really good. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with and without the ball," he added. "We're 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 eight points, they have no other option, because things could rapidly look very otherwise.

But, for now, Brentford are beating the predictions. And the longer that continues, the closer to fruition those dreams of the continent will become.