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Over halfway through the campaign, Brentford are in dreamland.

With victories in their last five outings, and a Samba striker scoring the goals, suddenly supporters are envisioning thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A comprehensive three-nil win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a place that was sufficient to secure European football last term.

Only table-toppers Arsenal have gathered more points over the past six games.

There's a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the race for continental football.

No one was predicting this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had left for Tottenham after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club promoted but also cemented them in the elite division.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and goal-scoring duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

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

A year of struggle, possibly even relegation, was forecast. But here we are in January with the club in the upper echelons.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Campaign

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not being finalized until the final day of the window.

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

Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in July 2024 for a then club record fee, but was hindered by injury in his first campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland 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 a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. His statistics are fantastic. He must be so proud. 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 shows the standard he is operating at.

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

His first goal against the Black Cats was his 7th 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 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 percent.

He hits the target. Achieve that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Given the hardships 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 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 personalities," Andrews said. "This is really notable. 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 toiled. 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 all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Showing Sceptics Wrong

Igor Thiago 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 individual components.

The concern was that once the manager 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 no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a huge risk.

A maiden role is a challenge for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the jump from specialist 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 confident they had the right man.

So far, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at Brentford, it looks as if they were spot on.

Andrews won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and the Magpies have followed.

Results that, following their brilliant recent run, could prove increasingly important in the pursuit for European qualification.

"We are in good form and playing really well. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," he 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 little choice, because things could quickly look very different.

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