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Over the midpoint of the season, The Bees find themselves in dreamland.

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

A convincing three-nil win over Sunderland moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the Premier League – a position that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last season.

Solely leaders the Gunners have accumulated more points over the past six games.

There's a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the race for European football.

No one was predicting this last off-season.

The former head coach had departed for Spurs after seven years 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 attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was elevated to succeed the Dane, while there was no striker among the summer signings.

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

So, how have they managed it?

The Brazilian's Historic Campaign

The club's decision not to sign another striker was partly 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 £30m striker already ready and waiting.

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

Thiago has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

Considering the countrymen who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He is a physical specimen, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are incredible. He must be so proud. 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 pivotal for his team.

His first goal against the Black Cats was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Given 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.

Prior to the game against their opponents, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shot accuracy rate than the striker's 59.1%.

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

Considering the struggles he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to support his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that pressure on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "It is really notable. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his skill set 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 man of the moment but the team are not and have never been a single-player team.

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

The fear 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 their set-piece coach, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those external observers as a huge risk.

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 one candidate was the only other option that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly confident they had the correct candidate.

So far, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at Brentford, it looks as if they were correct.

Andrews won just a single of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and the Magpies have since occurred.

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

"We are in good form and playing really good. We are playing with bravery and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews added. "We are happy with how we are going but we want to keep pushing."

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 quickly look very different.

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