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Over halfway through the season, Brentford find themselves in dreamland.

With victories 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 place that was good enough to secure European football last season.

Only leaders Arsenal have collected more points over the past half-dozen matches.

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

No one was predicting this last summer.

The former head coach had left for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club promoted but also cemented them in the elite division.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Specialist coach Keith Andrews was promoted to succeed the Dane, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A year of struggle, possibly even the drop, was forecast. Yet here we are in the new year with Brentford in the upper echelons.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Historic Campaign

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

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 hindered by fitness issues in his first campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

The 24-year-old has set about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club 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 come before him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," pundit an analyst said. "He is a physical specimen, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are incredible. He must be so pleased. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point highlights the level he is playing at.

And it is not just the quantity but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so vital for his team.

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the importance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that first big chance 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 percent.

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

Given the struggles he had earlier in life, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise 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 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 developing his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely complete centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Doubters Incorrect

Their star striker is the headline act but the team are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the sum of their parts.

The fear 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.

Consequently, appointing their set-piece coach, with a blank managerial CV, and just a year at the club was seen by those external observers as a huge risk.

A first managerial job is a challenge for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the jump from specialist coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss one candidate was the only other alternative that Brentford 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 vindicated.

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

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

"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 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 rapidly look very otherwise.

But, for now, The Bees are beating the odds. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those aspirations of Europe will become.