A Outstanding Brazilian Talent & Contradicting the Expectations – The Bees' European Quest

More than the midpoint of the season, The Bees find themselves in dreamland.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans are dreaming of thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A emphatic 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the Premier League – a place that was good enough to secure Champions League football last season.

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

There's a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the battle for continental football.

No one was forecasting this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had departed for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club promoted but also established them in the elite division.

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

Specialist coach Andrews was promoted to replace the Dane, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

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

So, how have they managed it?

The Brazilian's Historic Season

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was in part down to circumstance, with one forward's move not going through until the final day of the window.

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

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

The 24-year-old has gone about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

Given the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He's physically intimidating, fast, powerful, but more skilled 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 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 underscores the standard he is operating at.

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

His first goal against the Black Cats was his seventh opener of the season. Given 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.

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. Achieve 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.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "This 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 toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Sceptics Incorrect

Igor Thiago is the man of the moment but the team 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 stronger than the sum of their parts.

The fear was that once the Dane left, that may not be the case, and that the sum of Brentford's 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 challenge for anyone, let alone when it comes in the Premier League and having made the jump from set-piece 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 right man.

So far, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at Brentford, it looks as if they were vindicated.

Andrews won just one of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against United, the Reds and the Magpies have since occurred.

Wins that, following their excellent recent form, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for European qualification.

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

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very otherwise.

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