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

With four wins in five games, and a Samba striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A convincing 3-0 win over Sunderland moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last term.

Solely leaders Arsenal have collected more points over the past six games.

There's a long way to go yet but Brentford are firmly in the fight for European football.

No one was envisioning this last off-season.

The former head coach had departed 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.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a total of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was promoted 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 forecast. But here we are in the new year with the club in the top five.

So, what is behind their success?

The Brazilian's Historic Campaign

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

But they also knew 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 hindered by injury in his first campaign, going goalless in his initial outings.

Thiago has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil in a single Premier League campaign.

Considering the countrymen who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with seventeen matches left to play.

"He has been a revelation," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He is a physical specimen, quick, powerful, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are incredible. He must be so proud. That's a huge 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 highlights the level he is playing at.

And it is not just the volume but the timing of the goals that have been so vital for his team.

His first goal against the Black Cats was his seventh opener 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 first big chance cannot be overstated.

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

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

Considering the hardships he had earlier in life, where he worked as a bricklayer to support his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that pressure 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 characters," Andrews said. "This is really notable. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very well. He has had to earn this path. He has worked for his journey and grafted. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is developing his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Sceptics Wrong

Igor Thiago is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a single-player team.

While they had key individuals – a host of talent – under Frank, 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 collective quality of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

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

A first managerial job is a test for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the leap from set-piece coach to the manager's office.

But given that Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna was the only other option that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the correct candidate.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers 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 big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and the Magpies have followed.

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

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

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 rapidly look very different.

But, for now, Brentford are beating the odds. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those dreams of Europe will become.