🔗 Share this article

More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford are in a dream scenario.

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

A convincing three-nil win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure European football last term.

Solely leaders the Gunners have accumulated more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There is a significant distance to go yet but Brentford are squarely in the fight for European football.

No one was envisioning this last summer.

Thomas Frank had left for Tottenham 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 elite division.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Keith Andrews was promoted to succeed Frank, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the off-season arrivals.

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

So, what is behind their success?

The Brazilian's Historic Season

The club's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to circumstance, with Wissa's move not being finalized until deadline day.

But they also knew they had a £30m striker already waiting to go.

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

The 24-year-old has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil in a single English top-flight campaign.

Considering the countrymen who have come before him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, fast, powerful, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are incredible. He must be so pleased. That's a big 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 standard he is playing at.

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

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh 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.

Prior to the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shooting accuracy than Igor Thiago's 59.1 percent.

He hits 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 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 takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "It 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 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 complete centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Doubters Incorrect

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 their previous boss, 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.

Consequently, appointing their set-piece coach, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those outside the club 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 specialist coach to the manager's office.

But given that Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly confident they had the right man.

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 since occurred.

Wins that, following their excellent recent form, could prove increasingly important in the pursuit for Europe.

"We're 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're pleased 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 quickly look very different.

But, for now, The Bees are defying the predictions. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those dreams of Europe will become.