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

Following four wins in five games, and a Samba 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 the Black Cats moved their manager's side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a place that was good enough to secure Champions League football last season.

Solely table-toppers Arsenal have collected 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 fight for European football.

Few was envisioning 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 got the club promoted but also established them in the top flight.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

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

A year of difficulty, possibly even relegation, 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 Season

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to circumstance, with Wissa's move not going through until deadline day.

But they also knew they had a £30m striker already waiting to go.

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

The 24-year-old has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club 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 a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a revelation," pundit an analyst said. "He is a physical specimen, quick, strong, but more skilled than people think. Good with his feet, both feet, 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 Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point shows 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 opener against the opposition was his 7th opener 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 overstated.

Before the game against their opponents, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shooting accuracy 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 death of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"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 nicely. He has had to forge this path. He has earned 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 Showing Sceptics Incorrect

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

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

The concern 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 a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months 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 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 right man.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at Brentford, it looks as if they were correct.

The new boss won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, Liverpool and the Magpies have followed.

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

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

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

But, for now, Brentford are defying the predictions. And the longer that continues, the closer to fruition those aspirations of Europe will become.