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Over the midpoint of the campaign, The Bees find themselves in a dream scenario.

With victories in five games, 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 their manager's side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a place that was good enough to secure Champions League football last term.

Only leaders 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 continental football.

Few was envisioning this last summer.

Thomas Frank had left for Spurs 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 top flight.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was elevated to succeed Frank, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

A season of struggle, possibly even relegation, was widely predicted. But here we are in the new year with the club in the upper echelons.

So, what is behind their success?

Igor Thiago's Historic Campaign

Brentford'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 were aware they had a £30m striker already waiting to go.

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

Thiago has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club 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 preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with seventeen matches remaining.

"He's been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He is physically intimidating, fast, strong, 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 pleased. 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 highlights the standard 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 opener against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Given 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 underestimated.

Before the game against Sunderland, 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. Achieve that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Given the struggles he had earlier in life, where he labored in construction to support his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the type of players they bring in and personalities," the manager said. "This is really notable. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong

Igor Thiago is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – 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 collective quality of their parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

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

A maiden role is a test for anyone, let alone 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 Brentford, it looks as if they were spot on.

Andrews won just one of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and Newcastle have followed.

Wins that, following their excellent recent form, could prove increasingly important in the race for European qualification.

"We're in fine fettle and playing really good. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with and without the ball," he added. "We are pleased 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, The Bees are defying the odds. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those dreams of the continent will become.