Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos gave Enzo Maresca a reason to be really happy over the weekend.
Santos helped Chelsea to beat Burnley 2-0 in the Premier League, with the 21-year-old coming in for Moises Caicedo.
Chelsea as a whole performed well at Turf Moor, especially in the second half of the game.
Who was your player of the match vs Burnley?
However, Santos particularly stood out as he filled in for his teammate and has now spoken about his display.
Andrey Santos thinks Burnley performance was his best in a Chelsea shirt so far
Since returning to Chelsea from Strasbourg in the summer, Santos has made 18 appearances.
According to the Brazilian, his latest one was his best in a blue shirt so far. In a post-match interview via BBC Sport, he said: “Yes, of course, I think today is my best performance. I think the adaptation is a little bit hard because the Premier League is the toughest championship in the world.
“But now my teammates have helped me a lot. I’m so happy to be here in the Premier League.”
Liam Rosenior thinks Andrey Santos will go to the very top
“Andrey is going to have a magnificent career.”
Liam Rosenior
Santos’ Chelsea teammate Pedro Neto also had a very good game, opening the scoring for the Blues before Enzo Fernandez’s goal in the second half.
Santos and the rest of Maresca’s side take on Barcelona next in the Champions League. It is a match they will have to try and win without their talisman Cole Palmer, who is out with a fresh injury.
Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos shooting
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images
Andrey Santos’ numbers back midfielder up
Santos’ performance against Burnley was a very complete one. He did a great job defensively and even managed to create a chance.
In total, the Brazilian made 13 defensive actions, more than any other player on the pitch. He also registered one key pass.
Andrey Santos vs Burnley Total
Minutes 90
Key passes 1
Tackles (won) 3 (2)
Interceptions 5
Clearances 4
Blocked shots 1
Total defensive actions 13
Ground duels (won) 7 (5)
Aerial duels (won) 3 (2)
Via Sofascore
Ultimately, then, you would have to agree that Santos’ display at Turf Moor was certainly his best since returning to Stamford Bridge.
Unfortunately for the Brazil international, it will not be enough to keep him in the team. For as good as he was on Saturday, Caicedo and Fernandez are just on a different level.
Santos has even acknowledged Caicedo and Fernandez as two of the best midfielders in the Premier League. That is also something that is hard to disagree with, with the former perhaps being the best outright at this moment in time.