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Over halfway through the season, Brentford find themselves in dreamland.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker netting the goals, suddenly supporters are envisioning thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A comprehensive three-nil win over the Black Cats moved their manager's side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a position that was good enough to secure Champions League football last term.

Solely leaders the Gunners have gathered more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There is a significant distance to go yet but Brentford are squarely in the fight for continental football.

No one was predicting this last off-season.

The former head coach had left for Spurs after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club promoted but also established them in the top flight.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and goal-scoring duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was elevated to replace Frank, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

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

So, what is behind their success?

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 going through until deadline day.

But they also knew 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 fitness issues in his first campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

Thiago has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland taking him to sixteen league goals – the most by a player from Brazil in a single English top-flight campaign.

Given the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He's been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He is physically intimidating, quick, strong, but more skilled than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score with both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are incredible. He must be so proud. 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 timing of the goals that have been so vital for his team.

His opener 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 depend on to take that first big chance cannot be overstated.

Prior to 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 hits the target. Achieve that consistently and the goals will – and have – come.

Considering the struggles he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to provide for his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that pressure on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of praise for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "This is really notable. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very nicely. He has had to forge 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 learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Incorrect

Igor Thiago is the headline act but the team are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – a host of talent – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team more effective 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 stay up.

As a result, appointing Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a huge risk.

A maiden role is a challenge for anyone, let alone when it comes in the Premier League and having made the jump from set-piece coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna 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 spot on.

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

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

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

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just eight points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very different.

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