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More than the midpoint of the campaign, The Bees are in a dream scenario.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly supporters are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A emphatic 3-0 win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a position that was sufficient to secure European football last term.

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

There's a long way to go yet but Brentford are firmly in the race 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 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 Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle United respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was promoted 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 January with the club in the upper echelons.

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Season

The club's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to circumstance, with one forward's move not going through until deadline day.

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 club record fee, but was plagued by injury in his first campaign, going without a goal 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 most by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

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

"He's been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He is physically intimidating, quick, powerful, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score with both. You can see he's full of confidence. These numbers are incredible. 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 playing at.

And it is not just the volume but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so vital for Brentford.

His opener against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that first big chance cannot be overstated.

Prior to the game against their opponents, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1%.

He hits the target. Do 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 provide for 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 credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "It is really notable. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very nicely. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the headline act 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 sum of their parts.

The concern 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 avoid relegation.

Consequently, 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 maiden role is a challenge for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the leap from set-piece coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative 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 key decision makers at Brentford, it looks as if they were correct.

Andrews won just one of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, Liverpool and the Magpies have since occurred.

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

"We're in good form and playing really well. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews added. "We are pleased 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 eight points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very otherwise.

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