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More than the midpoint of the season, Brentford find themselves in fantasy land.

Following victories in five games, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing 3-0 win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into fifth in the top flight – a place that was good enough to secure European football last season.

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

There's a significant distance to go yet but Brentford are squarely in the battle for European football.

No one was predicting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had departed for Tottenham after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club promoted but also cemented them in the elite division.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was promoted to succeed the Dane, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the off-season arrivals.

A season of difficulty, possibly even relegation, was forecast. But here we are in January with the club in the top five.

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Campaign

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to circumstance, with Wissa's move not going through until the final day of the window.

But they also knew they had a £30m striker already chomping at the bit.

The 24-year-old 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.

The 24-year-old has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland taking him to sixteen league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

Considering the fellow Brazilians who have come before him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He's physically intimidating, fast, strong, but more skilled than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. His statistics are fantastic. He must be so proud. That's a big compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point highlights the standard he is playing at.

And it is not just the volume 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 importance 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 Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shooting accuracy than Igor Thiago's 59.1%.

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

Given the struggles he had earlier in life, where he labored in construction to provide for his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the type of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "It is really impressive. 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 abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Sceptics Wrong

Their star striker is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the sum of their parts.

The concern was that once the manager left, that may not be the case, and that the collective quality of their parts alone might not be enough to avoid relegation.

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A maiden role is a challenge for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest 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.

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

The new boss won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but significant home victories against United, the Reds and Newcastle have followed.

Wins that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove all the more important in the race for Europe.

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

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very different.

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