A Outstanding Brazilian Talent & Contradicting all Odds – Brentford's Continental Push

Over halfway through the season, The Bees find themselves in fantasy land.

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

A emphatic three-nil win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure European football last term.

Solely table-toppers the Gunners have accumulated more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There's a long way to go yet but Brentford are squarely in the fight for continental football.

No one was forecasting this last summer.

The former head coach had departed for Spurs after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club to the Premier League but also established them in the top flight.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

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

A season of struggle, possibly even the drop, was forecast. But here we are in January 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 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.

Igor Thiago joined from Belgium in July 2024 for a then club record fee, but was hindered by fitness issues in his debut campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has gone about making up for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

Considering the fellow Brazilians who have come before him, that is some accomplishment, especially with seventeen matches left to play.

"He has been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, fast, powerful, but more skilled than people think. Good with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with 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 Europe's top five leagues to this point shows the level he is playing at.

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

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

Before the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1 percent.

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

Considering the hardships he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that pressure on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "It is really impressive. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. 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 complete centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Sceptics Incorrect

Their star striker is the headline act but Brentford 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 individual components.

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

As a result, appointing their set-piece coach, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a gamble.

A maiden role is a challenge for anyone, let alone when it comes in the Premier League and having made the leap from specialist coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna was the only other option that the hierarchy 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 the club, it looks as if they were vindicated.

Andrews won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but significant home victories against United, the Reds and Newcastle have since occurred.

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

"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," Andrews added. "We're happy with how we are going but we want to keep improving."

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

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