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Over halfway through the season, Brentford are in a dream scenario.

Following four wins in five games, and a Samba striker netting the goals, suddenly supporters find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A emphatic three-nil win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into fifth in the Premier League – a place that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last season.

Only leaders Arsenal 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 forecasting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had departed for Spurs after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also cemented them in the top flight.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and goal-scoring duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was elevated to replace Frank, while there was no striker among the summer signings.

A season of difficulty, possibly even relegation, 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 Season

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was in part down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until the final day of the window.

But they also were aware they had a £30 million striker already waiting to go.

Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a then club record fee, but was plagued by fitness issues in his debut campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

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

Considering the countrymen who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are fantastic. He must be so pleased. 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 operating at.

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

His first goal against the Black Cats was his 7th first goal of a game of the season. Considering 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 thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than the striker's 59.1 percent.

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

Given the struggles 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 handles with ease.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "This is really impressive. He is a really special person who has fitted into life very nicely. 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 skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely complete centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Doubters Wrong

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

While they had star players – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the sum of their parts.

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

As a result, appointing their set-piece coach, with no previous managerial experience, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A first managerial job is a test for anyone, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest 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 Brentford, it looks as if they were spot on.

The new boss won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but significant 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 race for Europe.

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

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just eight points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very different.

But, for now, Brentford are beating the predictions. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those aspirations of the continent will become.