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Over the midpoint of the campaign, The Bees are in fantasy land.

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

A emphatic 3-0 win over Sunderland moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure European football last season.

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 forecasting this last summer.

The former head coach had departed for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also established them in the top flight.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle United respectively.

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

A year of struggle, possibly even the drop, was forecast. Yet here we are in January with the club in the top five.

So, what is behind their success?

The Brazilian's Historic Campaign

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

But they also were aware they had a £30 million striker already ready and waiting.

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

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

Given the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with seventeen matches remaining.

"He's been a revelation," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He's physically intimidating, quick, powerful, but more skilled than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are incredible. 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 underscores 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 Brentford.

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Given how often we are told the significance of the first goal 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 shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1%.

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

Given the struggles he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to support his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "It is really impressive. He is a really special person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has worked for his journey and toiled. He has got serious grit 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 Proving Sceptics Wrong

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

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

The fear 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 stay up.

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a gamble.

A first managerial job is a challenge for anyone, especially 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 Brentford looked at, they were clearly confident 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 spot on.

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

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

"We are in fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with and without the ball," Andrews added. "We are pleased with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very otherwise.

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