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Over the midpoint of the season, The Bees are in fantasy land.

Following victories in five games, and a Samba striker netting the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing three-nil win over the Black Cats moved their manager's side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a position that was good enough to secure European football last term.

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

There is a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the race for continental football.

No one was predicting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had departed for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club to the Premier League but also cemented them in the elite division.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Set-piece coach Keith Andrews was promoted to succeed Frank, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

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

So, what is behind their success?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Campaign

The club's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to timing, with one forward's move not being finalized until the final day of the window.

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

The 24-year-old joined from Belgium in July 2024 for a then-record fee, but was hindered by fitness issues in his debut campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to sixteen league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil in a single Premier League campaign.

Given the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He's physically intimidating, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score off 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 the continent's major leagues to this point underscores the standard he is operating at.

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

His opener against the Black Cats was his 7th first goal of a game of the season. Given how often we are told the significance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that first big chance cannot be underestimated.

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

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

Given the hardships he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the death 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 praise for the kind of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "This is really impressive. He is a really special person who has adapted to 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 skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Sceptics Incorrect

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

While they had star players – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the individual components.

The concern 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 stay up.

As a result, appointing Andrews, 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, especially 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 boss one candidate was the only other option that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly convinced 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 vindicated.

The new boss won just one of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and Newcastle have since occurred.

Results that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove all the more important in the race for Europe.

"We are in fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews 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 eight points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very otherwise.

But, for now, The Bees are defying the odds. And the longer that lasts, the closer to fruition those dreams of the continent will become.