Chelsea fought their way into the semi-finals of the Club World Cup after a tight 2-1 win over Palmeiras, thanks to a wonderful Cole Palmer goal, and a slice of luck as well.

The big talking point heading into the match was Andrey Santos making his first start of the tournament – he is who I’m putting the spotlight on for today’s game.

There has been a long wait for Andrey Santos at Chelsea.

We’ve seen glimpses of him at the Blues, but this is the season fans have been hoping to see Santos integrated into the squad permanently after his loan at Strasbourg. 

Following reports and Todd Boehly himself publicly praising Andrey, it seemed as though Chelsea fans were going to get their wish.

However, Santos has been a curious case in the Club World Cup. 

He’s not started in games that he’s been expected to start in, and before today his only bit of action in this tournament was a 12 minute cameo against ES Tunis.

He was able to make his impact in that game though with an assist for Tyrique George.

But today he finally got his opportunity after Reece James unfortunately got injured in training, and he showed why Chelsea need to keep him at the club at all costs. 

Santos occupied the role as the deepest midfielder in the lineup against Palmeiras, allowing Enzo Fernandez to advance further forward.

This probably isn’t a role that Enzo Maresca views for Andrey on a consistent basis, but the Brazilian showcased to his manager just how versatile and important he is for this Chelsea squad.

On the ball, he was oozing with class and showing an exceptional level of calmness.

Santos had 56 touches, while producing a pass accuracy of 90%. 

But playing in this midfield role means you need to be assured defensively as well, which was no problem for Santos either.

Santos won six out of his nine ground duels, and won all three of his aerial duels as well.

These impressive stats came with also being dribbled past just once throughout the entire game. 

Maresca’s excuse for leaving Santos out of his starting lineup consistently was that he needed time to adjust to the role Fernandez occupies.

But just using Andrey when Enzo needs resting or isn’t able to play, means you’re not using the benefits of having a player like him in your squad.

You don’t need to play either Santos or Enzo, you can play both together, and the goes with Caicedo and Andrey as well.

I hope Maresca understands now that we are so lucky to have a player like him joining us next season, someone that can play any role you ask of him in midfield and to a very high level.

He isn’t someone that needs to be integrated slowly into the side, you can stick him in the deep end and he will repay your trust. 

Chelsea play their semi-final game against Fluminense on Tuesday, where we will meet Blues legend, Thiago Silva once again.

Will Santos make his second start in this competition and continue to build his legacy at Chelsea?