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Brentford pushed hard for a European place in the Premier League last season; the question now is where they head next.

At this point a year ago, the Bees were being tipped by plenty of loud-voiced pundits for relegation.

The storyline seemed straightforward. Brentford were expected to struggle after Thomas Frank departed and Keith ‘Set-Piece Coach' Andrews took over. Club captain Christian Norgaard had been sold, and the prolific pair of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa also moved on.

But once again, the club's leadership under owner Matthew Benham proved it understood the situation better than Roy Keane, Martin O'Neill and many of the experts on social media. Andrews did not just keep things stable - he guided Brentford to within touching distance of Europe. His challenge now is to turn the dream of the club's first-ever continental campaign into something real.

For that to happen, the Irishman needs to find a way to make Brentford's attack click more consistently. If he can get greater output from wide players Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara, it would ease some of the scoring burden currently carried by Igor Thiago.

Another major objective for Andrews will be getting Mikkel Damsgaard, his standout player, back to his best level. Brentford are not a club likely to get carried away, but last season again showed they are fully capable of competing strongly with the better sides in the Premier League's middle pack.

Avoiding relegation will always remain the first aim, but the Bees have every reason to approach 2026-27 with their eyes fixed upward rather than downward.

After so much disruption, Keith Andrews lost eight of his opening 15 matches - and then took Brentford to a joint-best Premier League finish, missing out on the Conference League on goal difference and the Europa League by just one point. His tactical work is still evolving, but it has been an excellent beginning.

Who else but Igor Thiago? Back in the Griffin Park days, getting a Brazilian into TW8 might have required strips of hot wax - now Brentford have a striker in the Selecao's World Cup squad after he finished second in the Premier League scoring charts. He will be crucial once more.

PREMIER LEAGUE: 9th

FA CUP: Fifth Round

LEAGUE CUP: Quarter-final

Igor Thiago struck a remarkable 25 goals in all competitions for the Bees last season.

His performances came close to earning him the Golden Boot, were it not for the presence of a certain Norwegian goal machine.

They need to discover extra depth in the squad somehow. Brentford faded a little in the second half of last season, conceding too often, surrendering leads and dropping home points against beatable opponents such as Wolves and Everton. The club cannot sustain an oversized squad, but more quality from the bench would be a major boost.

Create scenes of total joy when he scores: Josh Dasilva. After an awful spell with injuries, the 27-year-old midfielder finally returned in May, making his first appearance in 15 months. If he can stay fit, build regular minutes and produce one or two of his trademark screamers, there may not be a more popular figure in west London.

Go shopping at Brentford again: Newcastle United. Even after his World Cup heroics, the Magpies must surely be regretting spending £55m on Yoane Wissa - or should that be Missa? - for just one league goal. Put that down as a ‘Good Sale'.

Last season was an enormous surprise. After we lost Thomas Frank and most of his backroom staff, along with Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard and Yoane Wissa - after he went on strike - things could easily have unravelled badly. But Keith Andrews stepped up from set-piece coach, and in the end we were one final-day header away from a European trip.

This season will be different because unlike the chaos of last summer, we will have signings in earlier and a full pre-season to work with.

Our key player will be Igor Thiago. He is a brilliant example of why football is the greatest sport: hard work and humility turned someone almost unknown into a Brazil World Cup starter in less than a year.

The active player I'd love to have back is Ivan Toney. That will not go down well with some supporters because his exit was messy, but he is a natural winner.

The pantomime villain will be Jordan Pickford. No away end has ever had 90 peaceful minutes with him around.

The best thing about matchdays at our ground is that you can reach the Thames within minutes on foot, and there are riverside pubs all over the area, with most of them welcoming away fans too. The whole neighbourhood creates a proper football atmosphere before and after matches.

We'll finish 7th.

AUGUST

22 Tottenham (H)

29 Leeds (A)

SEPTEMBER

5 Sunderland (H)

12 Bournemouth (A)

19 Chelsea (H)

OCTOBER

10 Aston Villa (A)

17 Liverpool (H)

24 Hull City (A)

31 Nott'm Forest (H)

NOVEMBER

7 Brighton (A)

21 Everton (H)

28 Man United (A)

DECEMBER

2 Arsenal (H)

5 Man City (H)

12 Fulham (A)

19 Newcastle (H)

26 Ipswich (A)

30 Coventry (A)

JANUARY

2 Crystal Palace (H)

6 Arsenal (A)

16 Brighton (H)

23 Everton (A)

30 Man United (H)

FEBRUARY

6 Nott'm Forest (A)

10 Crystal Palace (A)

20 Coventry (H)

27 Newcastle (A)

MARCH

3 Ipswich (H)

13 Sunderland (A)

20 Bournemouth (H)

APRIL

10 Tottenham (A)

17 Leeds (H)

24 Fulham (H)

MAY

1 Man City (A)

8 Aston Villa (H)

15 Liverpool (A)

23 Hull City (H)

30 Chelsea (A)

Brentford to win the Premier League title odds: 300/1

FourFourTwo verdict: Brentford to finish 10th.

With only two points separating 7th from 11th last season, it would not take much for a side to climb - or slip. Much depends on Thiago: the Bees are set up to supply him, as shown by the fact he had the division's highest xG per shot.