The Brilliant South American Talent and Contradicting the Expectations – Brentford's Continental Push

Over halfway through the season, The Bees are in a dream scenario.

With four wins in five games, and a Brazilian striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans 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 Premier League – a position that was good enough to secure European football last season.

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

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

No one was forecasting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had left for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club promoted but also established them in the top flight.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle United respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was elevated to succeed Frank, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

A year of difficulty, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. Yet here we are in January with Brentford in the upper echelons.

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Season

Brentford'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 knew they had a £30m striker already chomping at the bit.

The 24-year-old joined from Belgium in the summer for a then-record fee, but was plagued by fitness issues in his first campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has set 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 countrymen who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with seventeen matches left to play.

"He's been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He's a physical specimen, quick, powerful, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are fantastic. He must be so proud. That's a big compliment to him."

That only Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point shows the standard he is operating at.

And it is not just the quantity but the timing of the goals that have been so vital for Brentford.

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Given how often we are told the importance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that early opportunity cannot be overstated.

Before the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1%.

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

Considering the struggles he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

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

Their star striker is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a single-player team.

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

The fear 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 year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a gamble.

A first managerial job is a challenge for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the leap from specialist 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 correct candidate.

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

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

Wins that, following their excellent recent run, could prove increasingly important in the pursuit for European qualification.

"We're in good form and playing really well. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews added. "We are happy with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

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, Brentford are beating the odds. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those dreams of Europe will become.