🔗 Share this article

Over the midpoint of the season, The Bees are in a dream scenario.

Following four wins in five games, and a Samba striker banging in the goals, suddenly supporters find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A emphatic 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a place that was good enough to secure European football last season.

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

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

No one was forecasting this last summer.

The former head coach had left for Spurs after a seven-year stint 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 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 respectively.

Set-piece coach Keith Andrews was elevated to succeed the Dane, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the off-season arrivals.

A season of struggle, possibly even relegation, was forecast. But here we are in the new year with the club in the top five.

So, what is behind their success?

The Brazilian's Historic Campaign

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to timing, with one forward's move not going through until deadline day.

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

The 24-year-old joined from Club Brugge in July 2024 for a then club record fee, but was plagued by injury in his first campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

Thiago has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against Sunderland taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

Considering the countrymen who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," pundit an analyst said. "He's a physical specimen, quick, strong, but more skilled 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 incredible. He must be so proud. That's a huge 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 shows the level he is operating at.

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

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh opener of the season. Given how often we are told the importance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that first big chance 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%.

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 takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the type 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 forge this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely complete centre-forward."

Andrews Showing Sceptics Incorrect

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

While they had star players – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team more effective than the sum of their parts.

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

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 huge risk.

A first managerial job is a test for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the jump from set-piece coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the correct candidate.

So far, 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 a single of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against United, the Reds and Newcastle have since occurred.

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

"We're in fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with and without the ball," Andrews 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 predictions. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those aspirations of the continent will become.