🔗 Share this article

Over the midpoint of the campaign, The Bees find themselves in fantasy land.

Following victories in five games, and a Brazilian striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a position that was good enough to secure Champions League football last season.

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

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

Few was envisioning 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 promoted but also cemented them in the elite division.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was promoted to succeed the Dane, 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 the new year with the club in the upper echelons.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Historic Campaign

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was in part down to circumstance, 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 the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by fitness issues in his first campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

Thiago has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

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

"He's been a breath of fresh air," pundit an analyst said. "He's a physical specimen, fast, powerful, but technically better than people think. Good 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 proud. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point highlights the standard he is playing at.

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

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

Prior to 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%.

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

Considering the struggles 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 pressure on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"Our scouts 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 nicely. He has had to earn 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 all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong

Igor Thiago is the headline act but the team are not and have never been a single-player team.

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 Dane left, that may not be the case, and that the collective quality of their 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 external observers as a huge risk.

A maiden role 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 Town manager Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that the hierarchy 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 spot on.

Andrews won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle 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 good form and playing really good. We are playing with bravery and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews added. "We are happy with how we are going but we want to keep improving."

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 defying the odds. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those aspirations of Europe will become.