A Outstanding Brazilian Star & Contradicting the Expectations – Brentford's European Push

More than halfway through the season, The Bees are in dreamland.

Following victories in five games, and a Samba striker scoring the goals, suddenly supporters are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing 3-0 win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last term.

Solely table-toppers the Gunners have collected more points over the past six games.

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

No one was envisioning this last off-season.

The former head coach had departed for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club to the Premier League but also established them in the elite division.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was promoted to succeed Frank, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A season of struggle, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. Yet here we are in January with the club in the top five.

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Campaign

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to circumstance, with one forward's move not being finalized until the final day of the window.

But they also were aware they had a £30 million striker already ready and waiting.

The 24-year-old joined from Club Brugge 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 compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club taking him to sixteen league goals – the most by a player from Brazil in a single Premier League campaign.

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

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, quick, strong, 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. These numbers 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 underscores the standard he is operating at.

And it is not just the volume but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so vital for Brentford.

His opener against the opposition was his 7th opener of the season. Given how often we are told the significance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that first big chance cannot be underestimated.

Prior to the game against their opponents, 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. Achieve that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Given the struggles he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to support his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "This is really notable. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very nicely. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. 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 largely all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the man of the moment but the team are not and have never been a single-player team.

While they had star players – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team more effective than the sum of their parts.

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 no previous managerial experience, 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, especially when it comes in the Premier League and having made the leap from specialist coach to the manager's office.

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

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

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

"We are in fine fettle 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 striving."

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 otherwise.

But, for now, Brentford are defying the predictions. And the longer that lasts, the closer to fruition those dreams of the continent will become.