“The Andrey of 2023…” – Chelsea midfielder on how his game changed under Rosenior and Maresca | OneFootball

Andrey Santos has been speaking about his development as a player in the years since he agreed to join Chelsea.

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Andrey Santos has had a really good first season settling in at Chelsea, following up on an exceptional 18 months on loan at Strasbourg.

In an interesting interview on the Portuguese language FIFA website, the midfielder spoke a little about his development as a player since he was a precocious teenager playing in the Brazilian leagues.

“I am more complete now. I learned to behave better tactically, to know when to press, to cover the spaces better, to position myself better on the field,” Santos said.

“The technique will always be with you, but you evolve in all aspects: tactical, physical and technical. The Andrey of 2023 is different from the Andrey of 2026.”

He spends a lot of the interview talking about going to the World Cup next summer, which looks almost certain now he’s a Chelsea regular and has had a few chances to impress Carlo Ancelotti.

Santos at interesting Chelsea crossroads as competition steps up

Santos is at an interesting point in his Chelsea career now. A manager who knows him and trusts him has taken over at Chelsea, and he has been one of the big winners of the early Liam Rosenior era.

But Romeo Lavia is back from injury, possibly starting today against Wrexham, and Dario Essugo isn’t far behind.

Santos also found himself dropped for the midweek game against Aston Villa, with Reece James switched to midfield. It’s a moment of challenge for the Brazilian, who needs to respond to the threat and step his game up again.

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