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Over halfway through the season, Brentford find themselves in dreamland.

Following four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker netting the goals, suddenly Bees fans are dreaming of thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A comprehensive 3-0 win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure European football last season.

Only leaders the Gunners have accumulated more points over the past six games.

There is a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the fight for European football.

No one was predicting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had left for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also cemented them in the top flight.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and goal-scoring duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle United respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was elevated to replace the Dane, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A season of struggle, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. Yet here we are in the new year with Brentford in the upper echelons.

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 being finalized until deadline day.

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

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

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

Given the countrymen who have come before him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with seventeen matches left to play.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He's physically intimidating, fast, strong, but more skilled 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 a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point underscores the level he is playing at.

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

His opener against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Given how often we are told the significance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that first big chance cannot be overstated.

Before the game against their opponents, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1 percent.

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

Given the struggles 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 no surprise that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," the manager said. "This is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has adapted to life very nicely. He has had to forge this path. He has worked for his journey and toiled. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the man of the moment 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 sum of their parts.

The fear was that once the Dane 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 twelve months at the club was seen by those outside the club as a huge risk.

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 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.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at Brentford, it looks as if they were vindicated.

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

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

"We are in good form and playing really good. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," he added. "We are pleased with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very otherwise.

But, for now, Brentford are defying the predictions. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those dreams of the continent will become.