The Outstanding South American Talent & Contradicting the Odds – Brentford's European Charge

More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford are in fantasy land.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Samba striker banging in the goals, suddenly supporters are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A emphatic three-nil win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a place that was good enough to secure European football last season.

Only table-toppers Arsenal have accumulated more points over the past half-dozen matches.

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

No one was envisioning this last summer.

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 cemented them in the top flight.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle United respectively.

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

A year of difficulty, possibly even relegation, was forecast. But here we are in the new year with Brentford in the top five.

So, how did they pull it off?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Campaign

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until deadline day.

But they also were aware 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 hindered by injury in his first 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 Sunderland taking him to sixteen league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

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

"He has been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He's physically intimidating, fast, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score with 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 the continent's major leagues to this point highlights the standard he is operating at.

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

His first goal against the opposition was his 7th first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that early opportunity 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 Igor Thiago's 59.1 percent.

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

Considering the hardships he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to support his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that pressure on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," 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 earned his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

The Manager Proving 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 key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under Frank, they were always seen as a team more effective than the individual components.

The concern 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 leap from set-piece coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced 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 spot on.

The new boss won just a single of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against United, Liverpool and Newcastle have since occurred.

Results that, following their brilliant 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 courage and conviction in everything we do with and without the ball," he added. "We're happy with how we are going but we want to keep pushing."

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

But, for now, The Bees are beating the odds. And the longer that lasts, the closer to fruition those dreams of the continent will become.