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A Brilliant Brazilian Star and Contradicting all Expectations – The Bees' European Push
The forward joined Brentford from Club Brugge for £30m in the summer of 2024.
Over the midpoint of the season, Brentford are in fantasy land.
With victories in their last five outings, and a Samba striker netting the goals, suddenly supporters are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.
A comprehensive 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved their manager's side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a place that was good enough to secure European football last term.
Only table-toppers Arsenal have collected more points over the past six games.
There's a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the fight for European football.
Few was predicting 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 cemented them in the top flight.
Skipper their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle respectively.
Set-piece coach Keith Andrews was promoted to replace the Dane, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.
A season of struggle, possibly even relegation, was widely predicted. But here we are in the new year with the club in the upper echelons.
So, what is behind their success?
The Brazilian's Historic Campaign
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 were aware they had a £30 million striker already waiting to go.
Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a then club record fee, but was plagued by injury in his first campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.
The 24-year-old has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to sixteen league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.
Given the fellow Brazilians who have come before 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 physically intimidating, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers 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 operating at.
And it is not just the quantity but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so pivotal for Brentford.
His first goal against the opposition was his 7th opener of the season. Given how often we are told the significance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that first big chance cannot be overstated.
Before 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 consistently and the goals will – and have – come.
Considering the struggles he had in his youth, where he labored in construction 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 takes in his stride.
"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "This is really impressive. He is a really special person who has fitted into life very nicely. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."
Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong
Igor Thiago is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a single-player team.
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 sum of their parts.
The fear was that once the manager left, that may not be the case, and that the collective quality of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to stay up.
Consequently, appointing Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.
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 Town manager Kieran McKenna 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 5 league games in charge but significant home victories against United, the Reds and the Magpies have followed.
Results that, following their brilliant recent run, could prove increasingly important in the pursuit for Europe.
"We're in good form and playing really good. We are playing with courage 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 pushing."
In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just eight points, they have little choice, 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 aspirations of the continent will become.
Brian Hernandez
A passionate writer and shopping enthusiast with a keen eye for quality products and lifestyle trends.
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