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

Following victories in their last five outings, and a Samba striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

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

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

There's a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the race for continental football.

No one was forecasting this last summer.

The former head coach had departed for Tottenham 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 top flight.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Keith Andrews was elevated to succeed Frank, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A year of struggle, possibly even the drop, was forecast. But here we are in January with Brentford in the top five.

So, how have they managed it?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Season

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not being finalized until the final day of the window.

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

The 24-year-old joined from Belgium in the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by fitness issues in his first campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

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

Given the countrymen who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with seventeen matches left to play.

"He's been a breath of fresh air," pundit an analyst said. "He is physically intimidating, quick, powerful, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, both feet, 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 Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point underscores the level he is operating at.

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

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh opener of the season. Given 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 Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shot accuracy rate than the striker's 59.1 percent.

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

Given the hardships he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to support 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.

"The recruitment team 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 fitted into life very nicely. He has had to earn this path. He has worked for his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Doubters Incorrect

Igor Thiago is the headline act 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 stronger 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 stay up.

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a huge risk.

A first managerial job is a test for anyone, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest 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 Brentford looked at, they were clearly confident 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.

The new boss won just one of his first five league games in charge but significant home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and the Magpies have followed.

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

"We are in good form and playing really well. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," he added. "We're pleased 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 beating the odds. And the longer that lasts, the closer to fruition those dreams of the continent will become.