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More than the midpoint of the campaign, The Bees are 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 comprehensive 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last term.

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

There is a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the battle for continental football.

No one was envisioning this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had left for Spurs after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club to the Premier League but also cemented them in the elite division.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Keith Andrews was elevated to succeed the Dane, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

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

So, what is behind their success?

Igor Thiago's Historic Campaign

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was in part down to timing, with Wissa's move not being finalized until deadline day.

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

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

The 24-year-old has gone about making up for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland taking him to 16 league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

Given the countrymen who have come before him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a revelation," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, fast, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, both feet, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are fantastic. He must be so pleased. That's a big compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars 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 volume but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so important for his team.

His opener against the Black Cats was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that early opportunity cannot be underestimated.

Prior to the game against their opponents, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts 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 earlier in life, 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 takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "This is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has adapted to life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a largely all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Sceptics Wrong

Igor Thiago is the man of the moment but the team 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 individual components.

The fear was that once the manager left, that may not be the case, and that the sum of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to avoid relegation.

As a result, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers 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 manager's office.

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 vindicated.

Andrews won just one of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against United, Liverpool and Newcastle have followed.

Results that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove increasingly important in the pursuit for European qualification.

"We're in good form and playing really good. 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 pushing."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very different.

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