Daniel1980

And after that Arsenal fans have the nerve to be angry that he celebrated the goals. Serves them right. They're also a bunch of idiots. By booing and verbally abusing him, they only made it easier for him to let go. This way there's no conflict of loyalties for him.

Diego Costa: Hopefully Cesc and I can get some goals for Spain It's very obvious how much he wants to score for Spain. Really hope he scores during this international break. It would be great for his confidence. No matter how well you do for the club, scoring for the NT is special. He has something to prove on the international level after being labelled as a flop in the WC.

Gary Neville and Graeme Souness reflect on the partnership between Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa following Chelsea's 2-0 win against Arsenal. Cesc didn't get the memo that passes like that got nerfed in FIFA.

Eden: 10 Oct and 13 Oct. Brazilian NT plays on the 11 Oct and 14 Oct, but they're friendlies, so our lads are unlikely to play 90 minutes. At least Spain NT plays on the 9 Oct and 12 Oct, so our Spanish lads will have 6 days of rest. Since Iniesta is called up this time, is it too much to hope for Cesc to be benched? Though it's probably very unlikely. Can see Del Bosque using Cesc-Busquets-Iniesta in both games and dropping Koke to the bench. Costa will probably play at least 70 minutes in both games.

Suspect Wenger didn't take him off because it would be admitting he made a mistake. Ozil was shit today, regardless of the position he started on. He was playing (and losing the ball) in the centre most of the time. Even when he starts on the flank, he's given the freedom to roam and do whatever he wants.

What does it mean?

Also: I fucking love Costa's celebrations:

What a composed finish. Really didn't expect him to be so consistently good for us. Only Ronaldo scored more goals in Europe than him.

He was great today again. Looks like he's back to his best.

Great performance. Loved his tackle on Ozil. His off-ball work has been noticeably improving. And of course that pass deserves a special mention. Just brilliant. Oh and yeah, Fabregas never performs in big games.

Brilliant performance by Eden. He needed it after a few average performances and the criticism he got. Looked determined and hungry. Pity he didn't score a second goal.

Great game, great result. Pretty much everyone was fantastic today: Oscar, Cesc, Hazard, Costa. Will go for Cesc as MOTM just because Arsenal fans' reaction to that pass made the win so much sweeter.

A 6-0 hammering happens once in dozens years. I don't expect it. A win will be enough.

Tbh, I remember this happening against Leicester too, but it's a fixable problem. Jose can and should sort it out. It's just the matter of positioning and discipline.

I agree with most of this, but there are still a lot of Arsenal fans who care about whether he "betrayed" them or not, whether he tried to return to Arsenal or not. As you say, many of them just hate him for wearing blue, but many of them still love him, or at least like him, and think "it's not his fault, leave him alone." And Fabregas is many things, but he's been always respectful towards his teams' fans. I'm sure he cares enough not to stomp all over their emotions even if he truly chose Chelsea over Arsenal.For Costa and Luis it's much easier, because they haven't been Arsenal's captain and golden boy and they can say and do whatever they want, kiss the badge, say how much they wanted to play for Chelsea, how much they love Chelsea and so on. Cesc can't do any of that even if he wants to. I think we'll hear the words by the end of the season, but now he can't do any of that without it looking cheap and disloyal towards his former team. He has to be careful and say all the right things about Arsenal, whether he feels them or not. Don't get me wrong: I think he's been honest, but there are still some things he can't say at this point. That's why what Wenger alluded to might not be just a lie to make himself look better: that it was Cesc's choice to go to Chelsea, pure and simple, regardless of whether Arsenal needed him or not. Either way, we'll never know for sure.

It's not really about Barcelona. It's about Arsenal. It's a delicate situation. Cesc's loyalty towards Arsenal would be kind of questionable if what Wenger alluded to was true. The thing is, Cesc couldn't appear to be too eager to move to Chelsea even if he was, because it would make him look like a disloyal cunt towards Arsenal. You're right that he's been very careful with his words, stressing that Arsenal had the first option but didn't take it, which contradicts Wenger's words that Cesc already made the choice by the time he was informed. Maybe Wenger's just trying to make himself look better in Arsenal fans' eyes, or maybe he's telling the truth. The old man really seems to be contradicting himself a bit. Who knows what Cesc really thinks or feels, but at this point, he has to say all the right things about Arsenal. It doesn't really matter now. Either way, he looks happy at Chelsea and really committed, and that is what matters.

There might be plenty of reasons. It doesn't really look good when a player negotiates with another club during the season, especially when said club is an "enemy" of both Barcelona and Arsenal. Keep in mind his girlfriend and little daughter live in London, so he probably wanted to leave for a long while, not just after losing the title. The swiftness of Cesc's transfer to us is quite odd, tbh. Wouldn't be surprised if we started negotiations as early as March. Personally, I think both Wenger and Cesc are just trying to put most of the blame on each other. As for the Guardian's headline, it just shows that any interview is a matter of interpretation and choosing what sells. It's the same interview and Wenger is merely answering the question whether he thinks Arsenal would have been Cesc's first choice. The way he answered, I'm not sure he even understood the question. "Certainly, yes. I don't know, you know. I don’t want to make a big story of that because you have to accept that... that once he moved away from us, it was the first separation that was difficult for us. After he went to Barcelona, he can go anywhere. I personally believe that deal was done a long time ago, early 2014, and all the other speculation is just made up." The answer doesn't really match the question. Here's the video. Wenger's opinion, to sum it up: ultimately it was Cesc's decision to move to Chelsea, but Arsenal didn't need him anyway, so they were never in contention.

So-so: passable, neither good nor bad.

I'm certain Wilshere will start. Wenger loves him.

I bet if he scores against Arsenal, he'll be the hero again. Yes, he made mistakes at times, was wasteful and selfish, but he scored two important goals for us too, which is more goals than any of our other AMs scored in the league.

Think we'll play our usual lineup, no surprises. Arsenal are much more unpredictable due to their injuries.

Arsene Wenger believes Cesc Fabregas agreed Chelsea switch 'a long time ago': That would explain a few things, actually. But it also means either Wenger is lying or Jose and Cesc twisted the facts a little. Or a lot.

Yes, they're going to need pace on the flanks, but they would need some muscle in the middle too or Matic would bully the hell out of their central midfielders. Not sure what Wenger would choose, but I can't exclude the possibility of Ozil starting on the wing. It's not like it'd be the first time.

Knowing Wenger, yes. When Ozil plays on the flank, he doesn't really play as a winger anyway, and is usually given a free role, drifting to the centre more often than not. Chamberlain is more combative, so I can see Wenger play him centrally to win the midfield battle. Their midfield would be horribly lightweight with Ozil and Wilshere in the centre and I'm sure both will play.

Sanchez and Chamberlain will press. Think they will use this formation: _________Welbeck Ozil Wilshere Chamberlain Sanchez _________Flamini Gibbs Koscielny Mert Chambers _________Szczesny