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More than the midpoint of the season, The Bees find themselves in fantasy land.

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

A comprehensive 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved their manager's side into fifth in the Premier League – a place that was good enough to secure European football last season.

Solely table-toppers Arsenal have gathered more points over the past half-dozen matches.

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

Few was forecasting this last summer.

The former head coach had departed for Spurs after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club promoted but also established them in the top flight.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a total of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

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

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

So, what is behind their success?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Campaign

The club'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 were aware they had a £30 million striker already waiting to go.

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

The 24-year-old has set about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

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

"He's been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He's physically intimidating, quick, powerful, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. These numbers are incredible. He must be so pleased. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point highlights the standard he is playing at.

And it is not just the quantity but the timing of the goals that have been so important for Brentford.

His opener against the Black Cats was his seventh opener of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that early opportunity cannot be underestimated.

Prior to the game against their opponents, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1 percent.

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

Considering the hardships 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 high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of credit for the type of players they bring in and personalities," the manager said. "It is really notable. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very nicely. 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 Showing Sceptics 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 – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team more effective than the individual components.

The fear was that once the manager 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 no previous managerial experience, 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 Premier League and having made the jump from set-piece coach to the manager's office.

But given that Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the right man.

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

Andrews won just a single of his first five league games in charge but significant home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and Newcastle have since occurred.

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

"We're in fine fettle and playing really good. We are playing with bravery and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews added. "We're happy with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where fourth and 15th 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 aspirations of the continent will become.