A Exceptional South American Talent & Defying the Expectations – The Bees' Continental Quest

More than the midpoint of the season, The Bees are in a dream scenario.

Following victories in five games, and a Samba striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A comprehensive 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved their manager's side into fifth in the Premier League – a position that was good enough to secure European football last season.

Only table-toppers Arsenal have gathered more points over the past six games.

There is a long way to go yet but Brentford are firmly in the race for continental 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 cemented them in the elite division.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was elevated to succeed the Dane, while there was no striker among the summer signings.

A season of struggle, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. But here we are in January with the club in the upper echelons.

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Historic Season

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was in part down to circumstance, with Wissa'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 the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by fitness issues in his first campaign, going goalless in his initial outings.

The 24-year-old has set about making up for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the most by a player from Brazil in a single English top-flight campaign.

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

"He's been a revelation," pundit an analyst said. "He's physically intimidating, quick, powerful, but more skilled than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score with both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are fantastic. He must be so pleased. That's a big compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point shows the level he is playing at.

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

His first goal against the Black Cats was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Given 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 thirty efforts this season has a better shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1 percent.

He hits the target. Do that often enough 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 death of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the type of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "This is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has worked for his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong

Igor Thiago is the headline act but the team 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 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.

As a result, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a huge risk.

A maiden role is a test for anyone, especially 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 option that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the correct candidate.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at the club, it looks as if they were vindicated.

Andrews won just a single of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and Newcastle have followed.

Results that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for Europe.

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

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 odds. And the longer that continues, the closer to fruition those dreams of Europe will become.