The Outstanding Brazilian Talent and Defying all Odds – Brentford's European Charge

Over halfway through the season, Brentford find themselves in fantasy land.

Following victories in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A comprehensive 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure European football last term.

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

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

No one was predicting this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had departed for Spurs after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club promoted but also established them in the top flight.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

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

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

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Season

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until deadline day.

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

Igor Thiago joined from Belgium in the summer for a then-record fee, but was plagued by fitness issues in his first campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

Thiago has set about making up for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland taking him to sixteen league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

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

"He has been a revelation," pundit an analyst said. "He is a physical specimen, fast, powerful, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. His statistics 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 the continent's major leagues to this point shows the standard he is operating at.

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

His opener against the Black Cats was his 7th 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.

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

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

Given the struggles he had earlier in life, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of credit for the type of players they bring in and characters," the manager 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 grafted. 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 complete centre-forward."

Andrews Showing Sceptics 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 their previous boss, they were always seen as a team stronger than the individual components.

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 external observers as a huge risk.

A maiden role is a challenge for anyone, let alone when it comes in the Premier League and having made the jump from specialist 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.

So far, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at Brentford, it looks as if they were spot on.

The new boss won just a single of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, Liverpool and the Magpies have followed.

Results that, following their excellent recent run, could prove all the more important in the race for Europe.

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

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very otherwise.

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