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More than the midpoint of the campaign, Brentford are in dreamland.

Following victories in five games, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly supporters find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A emphatic three-nil win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into fifth in the Premier League – a place that was good enough to secure Champions League football last term.

Solely table-toppers Arsenal have collected more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There is a significant distance to go yet but Brentford are firmly in the race for continental football.

No one was predicting this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had left for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also established 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 also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Keith Andrews was promoted to succeed Frank, while there was no striker among the summer signings.

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

So, how did they pull it off?

Igor Thiago's Historic Campaign

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to circumstance, with one forward's move not going through until deadline day.

But they also were aware they had a £30 million striker already waiting to go.

The 24-year-old joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by injury in his debut campaign, going goalless in his initial outings.

Thiago has set about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against Sunderland 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 preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with seventeen matches remaining.

"He's been a revelation," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He is physically intimidating, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. These numbers 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 underscores the standard he is playing at.

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

His opener against the Black Cats was his 7th opener of the season. Considering 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 overstated.

Prior to the game against Sunderland, 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.

Given 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 unsurprising that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of praise for the kind of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "This is really impressive. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very nicely. He has had to forge this path. He has worked for his journey and grafted. 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."

The Manager Proving Doubters 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 – a host of talent – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team more effective than the sum of their parts.

The concern was that once the manager left, that may not be the case, and that the sum of their parts alone might not be enough to avoid relegation.

As a result, appointing their set-piece coach, 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, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the leap from specialist coach to the top job.

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.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at the club, 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, the Reds and the Magpies have since occurred.

Wins that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove increasingly 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 or without the ball," he added. "We are pleased 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 a handful of 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 reality those aspirations of the continent will become.