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More than the midpoint of the season, Brentford are in dreamland.

Following four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker netting the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A comprehensive three-nil win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was good enough to secure European football last season.

Only 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 race for European football.

Few was envisioning this last off-season.

The former head coach had left for Tottenham after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also established them in the elite division.

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

Set-piece coach Keith Andrews was elevated to replace Frank, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

A season of difficulty, possibly even the drop, was forecast. Yet here we are in January with the club in the upper echelons.

So, how have they managed it?

The Brazilian's Historic Season

The club's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until the final day of the window.

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

Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a then club record fee, but was plagued by fitness issues in his first campaign, going goalless in his initial outings.

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

Considering the countrymen who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder 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 off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are fantastic. He must be so pleased. 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 underscores the level he is playing at.

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

His opener against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game 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 first big chance 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. Achieve that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Given the hardships 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 high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "It is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has adapted to life very well. 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 developing his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Sceptics Wrong

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

While they had key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under their previous boss, 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 stay up.

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a gamble.

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

But given that Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna 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 brains trust 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 brilliant recent form, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for European qualification.

"We're in good form and playing really well. We are playing with bravery and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," he added. "We're happy with how we are going but we want to keep improving."

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very different.

But, for now, The Bees are beating the odds. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those aspirations of Europe will become.