🇪🇸 Cesc Fàbregas

[DYC. 7,542]

Pre Jan 1: 4 goals + 17 assists

Post Jan 1: 1 goal + 4 assists

Total: 5 goals + 21 assists

Overall, Cesc is definitely not at the same level as in the first half of the season for me. Whether it's a physical or psychological issue, I have no idea but I hope it's not the case next season. We've been lucky Hazard has been performing at such a high level.

[Barbara 15,149]

Pre Jan 1: 4 goals + 17 assists

Post Jan 1: 1 goal + 3 assists (4 if you include Costa's 'goal' in the League Cup final)

Total: 5 goals + 20/21 assists.

Overall, Cesc is definitely not at the same level as in the first half of the season for me. Whether it's a physical or psychological issue, I have no idea but I hope it's not the case next season. We've been lucky Hazard has been performing at such a high level.

FA credited the goal to Costa, so you have to count. There's no denying he isn't the same, but he isn't as bad anymore as he was coming from injury. I think a healthy Cesc would have slowed down some, but not as drastically as he did after the injury.

Still he's contributed directly or indirectly to many important goals in the last couple of months in addition to those stats you provided. Yesterday was just another example of that. He isn't the same, but he is in ascending form.

[DYC. 7,542]

FA credited the goal to Costa, so you have to count. There's no denying he isn't the same, but he isn't as bad anymore as he was coming from injury. I think a healthy Cesc would have slowed down some, but not as drastically as he did after the injury.

Still he's contributed directly or indirectly to many important goals in the last couple of months in addition to those stats you provided. Yesterday was just another example of that. He isn't the same, but he is in ascending form.

We'll have to see how he does next season.

40 starts + 2 sub apps for Cesc this season btw. Just for comparison, 2013/2014: 44 starts + 11 sub apps - 13 goals + 14 assists.

[Barbara 15,149]

We'll have to see how he does next season.

40 starts + 2 sub apps for Cesc this season btw. Just for comparison, 2013/2014: 44 starts + 11 sub apps - 13 goals + 14 assists.

yes, he played 25 up to December and 15 this year.

I don't know if it's fair to expect him to keep an average of 21 goals involved in 25 matches and I feel some people (clearly not you) were expecting him to keep that up. The record of 20 assists a season (EPL only) shows it is difficult to reach, it's just above the average of 0.5 assists per match and up to December he had 0.68 which is insane. Of course, we expect him to do much better than the 0.26 he has this calendar year, but I think after Hazard (who especially picked up when everyone went down) I think the man who has the most important contributions in our potential title and dominating campaign is Cesc. It's not only about his direct contribution (the same way Hazard at first was contributing in the building up of our goals more than assisting or scoring), but how he effectively changed our style. And this has only been his first season. I have very high expectations next season about our overall play, about Cesc, Eden and others. I think we'll be a joy to watch for most part. If we're able to enter the new year playing really well and just have a mild (and acceptable imo) drop of level, I'll be more than content.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

he does - but isn't there a context? Wasn't he injured? Didn't he stay some time in the sidelines and have ever since slowing walking toward his best? I'm not saying it didn't happen, I'm just questioning this is a sacred rule that rinses and repeats every new season.

People stopped bringing up the 'don't play big matches' because he's played well in some of the big matches we played this year... the same will happen if he has a healthy second half of season. The thing is many times he doesn't. I thought he'd have here this season because he said we 'fixed' his long-term injury and played without pain for the first time in years. I didn't count with one of our own players injuring him (and Remy, lol), but of course, that's a risk any player is subjected to.

I'm not denying what happened, I'm denying the rule and the fact people don't analyze the context.

All I will say is that he is far from what you expect from a key playmaker.

He isnt mobile, he isnt quick, he isnt agressive, he doesnt hold and shield the ball well, he doesnt chase opponents, he missplaces passes, he cant set tempo under pressure - all that goes for big games. And please stop with injured excuse.

Yes he is top player in general, did as much as eden or Costa in road to title, but still, in big games he is one huge shadow of what he can be on best day. He faded bit in second half, but honestly most of the team did.

He might have moment or two in big game, but in other 88min he is anonymus.

What you expect from someone like Cesc who at 27 years age should be on top of career and with all that experience, he should be consistent, leader, and one to take responsibility in big games and push team forward. But he is far from such player, thats also reason why I hope he wont be captain in future.

Long story short, he lacks balls to replace Terry as captain or leader of this team.

[the wes 7,212]

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/572107/Arsenal-Cesc-Fabregas-banner-Chelsea-return

'He kissed the Chelsea badge when they lifted the cup last month.'

He did?

[Stats 7,142]

Despite his drop off in form in the second half of the season it is criminal he did not get in the team of the season.

[michalcfc 69]

Coutnho 4 goals, 4 assists and he's in TOTY

Fabregas 3 goals, 17 assists - not in the TOTY

[Supermonkey92 1,428]

Coutnho 4 goals, 4 assists and he's in TOTY

Fabregas 3 goals, 17 assists - not in the TOTY

Coutinho's a mystery - it must have been the step-overs which did it.

As for cesc I'm not sure I would have felt right him being there next matic and Sanchez. For me cesc compliments the midfield, he doesn't own it, put his foot down and take control and I mean in the big games not a home game against a minnow. When we played well he was sexy, when we played bad he was a shadow, but hey against 70% of the league he'll have an impact and that wins you titles.

[Sheva. 5,373]

He and Aguero paid for lack of form at the start of the year. But only in PL can the top scorer and top creator not make TOTY

[ShpendZhubi 66]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1pBta9XWNg

[Blue Armour 4,439]

Question: Does he miss any games because of the yellow card he picked up today?

[OhForAGreavsie 6,075]

Question: Does he miss any games because of the yellow card he picked up today?

No he won't. A player needs to reach his 10th yellow by the second Sunday in April in order to suffer a suspension and Cesc only reached that number yesterday. The next checkpoint is 15 yellows by the end of the season.

[Billy. 2,742]

https://twitter.com/TalkOfTheBridge/status/592395385798303745

this song is class

[Ledg 643]

^ Another video:

https://www.facebook.com/SPORTbible/videos/1615216271957232/

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

He was poor again yesterday ...

He doesn't help us in that type of matches. He can be put out of the game quite easily, he can't press, can't resist pressing himself and as we're well into the second part of the season there was lots of misplaced passes.

So far we can consider this as a warning but we simply need another 2 quality midfielders so we can bench Fabregas who suffered in every big match and generally in second part of the season.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

One of the great chants of this era.... Perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5r0OXHL7jw&feature=youtu.be

[Blue-in-me-Veins 4,067]

About time he got a chant, but it was definitely worth the wait! Such a great chant

Think Eden Hazard also needs a better tune chant aswell...but thats just me.

[The Chels 2,502]

There is surely no elite level Premier League player who offers such an uneven contribution. With 16 minutes gone at the Emirates, Fàbregas played the pass of the game, looking up and lifting the ball 40 yards down the inside left channel into the path of Oscar. His shot was dinked just wide of the onrushing David Ospina, who flattened the Brazilian while somehow failing to concede a penalty kick.

Either side of that, Fàbregas was simply himself, a player of great, gossamer gifts, a half-speed craftsman, and a midfielder who manages to be both pilot and passenger on the same flight. With six minutes gone, he was bypassed for the first time in central midfield, Alexis Sánchez and Aaron Ramsey funnelling the ball forward down the flank with Fàbregas a whirling Dalek in their wake. Ten minutes later he was brushed aside not once but twice on Arsenal’s left flank, before finally misplacing a pass to huge gleeful boos. An in-and-out opening 20 minutes ended with a booking for diving in the area, Fàbregas hanging his leg out hopefully as he passed Santi Cazorla but ending up tumbling over thin air.

When something more assertive was needed at Stamford Bridge against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea’s midfield was instead outrun and outfought by a team down to 10 men away from home. Too often Fàbregas has been invisible since the new year, or bypassed completely when Chelsea play on the break. Eight minutes before half-time here, Willian, Eden Hazard and Ramires constructed a lovely thrust down the left that led to the Brazilian almost prodding the ball past Ospina. At the time Fàbregas was 40 yards away, chugging gamely upfield like a three-legged dog.

On this evidence it isn’t hard to see why Fàbregas’s peers didn’t vote him into the Professional Footballers’ Association’s team of the year. A midfielder who will only pass the ball on, who has no burst of speed to offer another option is always easier to play against. And so he has become a containable high-class player, a kind of footballing Stephen Hawking, the trundling mega‑brain in need of a supporting entourage to wheel him into place.

Ouch. There's more too: http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/apr/26/arsenal-cesc-fabregas-chelsea