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Over halfway through the campaign, The Bees are in a dream scenario.

Following four wins in five games, and a Samba striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A comprehensive 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.

Solely leaders the Gunners have gathered more points over the past six games.

There's a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the battle for European football.

No one was predicting this last summer.

The former head coach had left 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 top flight.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was promoted to replace the Dane, while there was no striker among the summer signings.

A season of difficulty, possibly even relegation, was forecast. Yet here we are in January with Brentford in the upper echelons.

So, how have they managed it?

The Brazilian's Historic Campaign

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until deadline day.

But they also knew they had a £30 million striker already chomping at the bit.

Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in July 2024 for a then-record fee, but was hindered by injury in his first campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

Thiago has gone about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against Sunderland taking him to sixteen league goals – the highest tally 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 has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He is physically intimidating, fast, powerful, but more skilled than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. His statistics are fantastic. 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 the continent's major leagues to this point shows the level he is playing at.

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

His opener against the Black Cats was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance 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 shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1 percent.

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

Considering the struggles he had earlier in life, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that pressure on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "This is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has adapted to life very well. He has had to earn this path. He has worked for his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Doubters Incorrect

Igor Thiago is the man of the moment but Brentford are not and have never been a single-player team.

While they had key individuals – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team more effective than the individual components.

The concern 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 avoid relegation.

Consequently, appointing their set-piece coach, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months 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 Town manager one candidate was the only other alternative that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly convinced 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 vindicated.

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

Wins that, following their excellent recent form, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for Europe.

"We're in fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with bravery and conviction in everything we do with and without the ball," he added. "We're happy with how we are going but we want to keep pushing."

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very different.

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