Strasbourg have just taken another step closer to Ligue 1 safety with a 0-0 away draw against Toulouse, their mid-table rivals.
Things were looking shaky just a few weeks ago, but the Alsatians are now 3 games unbeaten. One notable thing to have changed in that 3 game spell is the emergence of Andrey Santos, the Chelsea loanee.
After riding the bench for a while following his January move, he finally got trusted from the start in the win over Nantes, and has started both games since.
He was excellent again today – his 7.3 rating on WhoScored makes him match of the match according to their stats.
Defensively he was head and shoulders above the rest of his team – he made 4 interceptions and 4 tackles, with the next highest on the team 2 in each. In a game like today where an away point was vital, he did his part.
If’s just a pity – both for Santos and Strasbourg – that he wasn’t there from the start of the season. He could have made a real impact on their season, and for his personal development, playing presumably 20 or more extra games this season would have been huge.
We wonder if those in charge of these things will send him back there for a full season in the summer? Or will they roll the rice again and try to find a Premier League team willing to give him a chance? The most important thing for his development is to play regularly, and Patrick Vieira is a great coach to learn from, so we’d be very happy to see him back with our sister club next season, even if there is interest from higher up once again.
