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More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford find themselves in dreamland.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans are dreaming of 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 the fifth spot in the Premier League – a place that was good enough to secure Champions League football last term.

Solely table-toppers the Gunners have collected more points over the past six games.

There's a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the fight for European football.

Few was envisioning this last off-season.

Thomas Frank 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.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

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

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

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Season

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was in part 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.

Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a then club record fee, but was plagued by injury in his first campaign, going without a goal in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has set about making up for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club taking him to sixteen league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

Considering the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He's a physical specimen, fast, powerful, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's full of confidence. These numbers 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 Europe's top five leagues to this point highlights the level he is operating at.

And it is not just the volume but the timing of the goals that have been so pivotal for his team.

His opener against the Black Cats was his 7th opener of the season. Considering 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 overstated.

Before 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.

Given 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.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of credit for the type of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "This is really notable. He is a really special person who has fitted into life very nicely. 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 developing his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Sceptics Incorrect

Their star striker is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – 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 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 Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those external observers as a huge risk.

A first managerial job is a test for anyone, let alone when it comes in the Premier League and having made the jump from specialist coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich Town manager one candidate was the only other option that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly confident they had the correct candidate.

So far, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at Brentford, it looks as if they were correct.

The new boss won just a single of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and the Magpies have since occurred.

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

"We are in fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with bravery and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," he added. "We're pleased with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table 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 lasts, the closer to reality those dreams of Europe will become.