Andrey Santos was superb for Chelsea in their 2-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday afternoon but the Brazil international is demanding more from him and his teammates
15:00, 23 Nov 2025
Andrey Santos
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Andrey Santos was superb for Chelsea in their win over Burnley(Image: Andy Buchanan - AFP)
Andrey Santos is demanding more from himself and Chelsea despite securing eight wins from their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Saturday afternoon's 2-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor saw the Blues climb up to second in the Premier League table, and with Manchester City losing at Newcastle United later on in the day, it means Enzo Maresca 's side will go into the weekend’s showdown with Arsenal as their closest competitor. Goals either side of half-time from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez handed Chelsea a crucial three points in Lancashire to extend their winning run.
The Blues have now won four of their last five matches in all competitions as they go into a huge week that includes a mammoth Champions League tie with Barcelona and a Premier League face-off with leaders Arsenal. However, Santos, who was awarded Player of the Match for his contribution on Saturday afternoon, is calling for more from him and his teammates.
"Of course, now we are in second in the league," said Santos. "So, of course, we are confident, but we always want more and more. Because when you talk about Chelsea, we want to win every game.
"It's a big week. We have Barcelona first and then Arsenal. It’s a great week. I would say, before, we are Chelsea. We work hard and want to win every game."
Santos was used as Chelsea's deepest midfielder in the absence of Moises Caicedo. After returning from international duty with Ecuador a little over 24 hours before the trip to Burnley, Caicedo was named on the bench at Turf Moor.
Maresca decided not to use the 24-year-old at all in Lancashire - the first time since December 2023 that Chelsea have played out an entire Premier League match without the Ecuadorian involved at all.
Santos managed to fill the void on Saturday alongside Fernandez in the middle, in a position that Maresca described as his most effective one post-match.
The Brazil international said: "It's hard to say one position [that he prefers to play] because I like to play like a No.8 or like a No.6. I think it is efficient for the coach if he thinks that the better I play like a No.8, I will do my best. But if he thinks that I can play like a No.6, like today, I will do my best."
It has taken a little bit of time to see Santos this impactful in his debut season in the Premier League. After shining at Strasbourg on loan last term, there were big expectations of the 20-year-old midfielder, who is starting to come into his own now.
"I think the adaptation is a little bit hard because the Premier League, when you talk about the Premier League, it's the championship that’s the hardest in the world," Santos said.
"But now my teammates have helped me a lot. I’m so happy to be here in the Premier League and I think today is my best performance."
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Santos will hope to be involved in some capacity as Chelsea welcome Barcelona to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening in their biggest Champions League tie of the season to date.
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