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Over the midpoint of the campaign, The Bees are in dreamland.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Samba striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A comprehensive three-nil win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was good enough to secure Champions League football last season.

Solely table-toppers the Gunners have accumulated more points over the past six games.

There's a significant distance to go yet but Brentford are firmly in the fight for continental football.

Few was envisioning this last summer.

The former head coach had departed for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club to the Premier League but also established them in the elite division.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Keith 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 widely predicted. But here we are in the new year with the club in the top five.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Historic Season

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

But they also knew they had a £30m striker already waiting to go.

The 24-year-old joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a then club record fee, but was plagued by injury in his debut campaign, going without a goal in eight appearances.

Thiago has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland taking him to sixteen league goals – the most by a player from Brazil in a single Premier League campaign.

Considering the fellow Brazilians who have come before him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He's been a revelation," pundit an analyst said. "He's physically intimidating, fast, powerful, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with 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 shows the level he is operating at.

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

His first goal against the opposition was his 7th opener of the season. Given how often we are told the importance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that early opportunity cannot be overstated.

Before the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shot accuracy rate than the striker's 59.1%.

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

Given the hardships he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to support 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.

"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 special person who has fitted into 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 developing his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Doubters Incorrect

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

While they had key individuals – a host of talent – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team more effective than the sum of their parts.

The fear was that once the Dane left, that may not be the case, and that the sum of their parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

Consequently, appointing their set-piece coach, with a blank managerial CV, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a gamble.

A maiden role is a challenge for anyone, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest 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.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at the club, it looks as if they were correct.

Andrews won just a single of his first five league games in charge but significant home victories against 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 fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," he added. "We're happy 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 otherwise.

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