Chelsea star could be the big winner of Maresca departure after changing the game against Man City | OneFootball

Chelsea fans have been excited about the arrival of Andrey Santos for a while now, and have basically been pretty disappointed by the Brazilian since he finally joined the first team squad in the summer.

Enzo Maresca never took a liking to him, and the times he featured he largely struggled, albeit often in heavily rotated teams. His impact in today’s draw against Man City was clear however.

Chelsea changed shape at half time, taking off winger Estevao and adding Santos to the midfield. His energy and tackling gave us more steel, and while we lost an attacker we actually gained a foothold in the game and were able to produce more on the counter attack.

“I thought Andrey was exceptional,” interim manager Calum McFarlane said after the game

“I thought he really, really controlled the middle of the pitch.”

Santos in perfect spot to kick-start Chelsea career

Calum McFarlane on the touchline for Chelsea. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

This could be a crucial moment for Santos, the time when his Chelsea career finally takes off. He had his first breakout under Liam Rosenior at Strasbourg last season, so there can be no question that the new man isn’t going to know what he’s capable of.

It will be a case of fitting him in tactically, but we would love to see him play in a double pivot with Moises Caicedo more often. That will mean wingers being dropped – but does

In other news…

The interim coach explained more about Santos’ introduction at the break and the change of shape which helped Chelsea win the game in his post match presser.

McFarlane also spoke to Sky Sports, mentioning some of the senior players from Chelsea’s squad who had travelled with the team to support them during this game, despite knowing they wouldn’t play.