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More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford are in dreamland.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker netting the goals, suddenly Bees fans find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A emphatic three-nil win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into fifth in the Premier League – a position that was good enough to secure Champions League football last term.

Only leaders Arsenal have gathered more points over the past six games.

There is a significant distance to go yet but Brentford are firmly in the race for European football.

Few was predicting this last summer.

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 top flight.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was promoted to replace Frank, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A season of difficulty, possibly even the drop, was forecast. But here we are in the new year with Brentford in the upper echelons.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Campaign

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was in part down to circumstance, with Wissa's move not going through until deadline day.

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

Igor Thiago joined from Belgium in the summer for a then-record fee, but was hindered by fitness issues in his debut campaign, going without a goal in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has gone about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against Sunderland taking him to 16 league goals – the most by a player from Brazil in a single English top-flight campaign.

Considering the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with seventeen matches remaining.

"He's been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He is a physical specimen, quick, powerful, 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 fantastic. 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 underscores the standard he is operating 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 Black Cats was his 7th first goal of a game of the season. Given how often we are told the importance of the first goal 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 thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1%.

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

Considering the hardships he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to support 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.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," 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 earned his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Showing Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the headline act but the team are not and have never been a single-player team.

While they had key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the individual components.

The concern was that once the Dane left, that may not be the case, and that the sum of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to avoid relegation.

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A first managerial job 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 alternative 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 correct.

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

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

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

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