Cesc Fàbregas

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

I wonder what Mourinho actually says to convince all these players he rings!

"Hello there, do you want to join my 'lets kick some gooners & scousers ass' club?"

[Fernando 6,375]

Our squad has improved seasons by seasons. With addition of Costa, Cesc and Luis, i fail to see a definite better XI in the world. What else Mourinho needs to play proactive and stop with the underdog mentality?

Proactive was a word Mou used to describe how he wants to play at Chelsea, instead of playing reactive.

Big Sam is thinking the same thing, but he is the manager of West Ham. It is perfectly fine for them to play like that, with their resource, squad, and stature.

I like how Arsenal are always brought as an argument against attacking football and playing youths..filled with fallacies. There is attacking football and Arsenal, who i can't remember the last time they actually had a natural holding midfielder. Our attacking players are far better defensively then theirs.

I am hardly against being pragmatic and conservative, there is a situation for everything.

Still for me Mourinho is conservative in big matches.

That won't change, he will not turn into a Bielsa, Pep or Wenger and go all crazy attack.

[Polo7 3,496]

Still for me Mourinho is conservative in big matches.

That won't change, he will not turn into a Bielsa, Pep or Wenger and go all crazy attack.

You could always go support those teams. It seems very important to you.

[Fernando 6,375]

You could always go support those teams. It seems very important to you.

What's important?

To me balance is more important then all out attack or all out defense.

[Polo7 3,496]

What's important?

To me balance is more important then all out attack or all out defense.

For me, its about stability and winning.

[Joker10 946]

Still for me Mourinho is conservative in big matches.

That won't change, he will not turn into a Bielsa, Pep or Wenger and go all crazy attack.

Never did i suggested Mou to do a 360 and go "all crazy attack."

[iseah100 5,612]

Never did i suggested Mou to do a 360 and go "all crazy attack."

180° *

[Namika 922]

“When I decided that my time at Barcelona had ended, I looked for the best option for me,” Fàbregas explained. “Arsenal was the first option, for contractual reasons. There was a clause that gave them the right to decide. We spoke to Wenger and he said that the space was very well filled by Mesut Özil and it was hard to find a place for both of us in the team.”

Fàbregas continued: “I wanted to go back to the Premier League and I had to think about what my options were then. I had many very goodoffers, the logical options. I spoke to José Mourinho and he told me that he wanted me there. He convinced me very, very quickly. He told me what I wanted to hear; he won me over and convinced me. It was very quick. I am very happy, very satisfied and I think it will all go phenomenally well.”

[Daniel1980 1,425]

A pretty good article on what Cesc brings to Chelsea: http://www.statsbomb.com/2014/06/what-cesc-brings-to-chelsea/

Coming from an Arsenal fan, no less.

Damn, if Fabregas can play even 70% as well for us as he did for Arsenal back then, I'll be happy. He was really incredible when he played in the Premier League. Hope Barcelona's tiki-taka didn't completely mess him up.

His style of play obviously changed in Barcelona's system, but some of his stats are still as good:

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

No player wants to be booed by 85,000 home fans, sure there are other factors at play but that's got to weigh on a players mind. I felt the same way about it when some of the idiots at the bridge booed Sturridge, I knew it would come back to haunt us...

[rohitmohanihm 39]

I think we should play him behind the striker and play oscar in the pivot with matic .. oscar is better at pressing and he has pace and can dribble .. well guess we will have to wait and see what Jose thinks

[Jype 6,398]

El Confidencial in Spain are saying Barca owe Fabregas €5m but are refusing to pay it. That story goes back to when he moved to Barcelona in 2011 and paid €5m of the transfer fee from his own pockets and Barcelona said they'd give it back to him in case he got sold but now they are going back on their promise. Also saying Cesc could sue the club, I suppose that would go down well with the Barca fans who already hate him.

What a cunt of a club Barcelona are, nothing about that scum can surprise me these days.

[EBH 283]

Barca's official site had this to say about Fabregas:

What a vile club they are.

As bad as that is, it doesn't stack up at all to the lengths they went to to sign Fabregas in the first place. This excellent blog post lists those lengths, the highlights being:

Carles Puyol is quoted in the Daily Star, saying “I think Arsenal need to respect his class and show the same class by giving the guy who has given so much to them the move that he and his family want. [...] He is the future of Barcelona and Arsenal can’t do anything to stop that. I have just spent six weeks with him and there is only one club he wants to be at. [...] The worst-case scenario is that we have to wait another 12 months for him to join us – but Arsenal, Barcelona and Cesc know that is the very worst-case scenario.”

Estanislau Fors i Garcia – the mayor of Catalan town Arenys de Mar where Cesc Fabregas grew up – wants in on the media tap-up circus, adding “We want him to come right away, he is experiencing a kidnapping. If the English are so honourable they should behave properly. [Arsene Wenger] has to stop clowning around because it’s disorienting for all of us.”

Speaking to Spanish news outlet EFE, Liverpool goalkeeper and fellow La Masia graduate Pepe Reina claims “Cesc wants to join Barca, that’s what he has always said.” Meanwhile, Dani Alves is quoted in an interview with RAC1 saying “I am convinced Cesc will join us. Arsenal are tourist class. Barcelona are in business class and any player would want to join us.”

Barcelona really are scum.

[Madmax 9,219]

^ From the same blog cap linked above, Fabregas' quotes (in 2011, mind) about playing at CM :

Playing as an interior means you have to be disciplined, to keep your position, and sometimes I lack the patience of [sergio] Busquets and Xavi [Hernandez]. It is not easy. It’s completely different. Everyone has their own place and it’s important you stick to your position

Cause for concern?

[Daniel1980 1,425]

^ From the same blog cap linked above, Fabregas' quotes (in 2011, mind) about playing at CM :

Cause for concern?

IMO, Fabregas has never been known for his patience. He's very attack-minded. Even when he played a CM at Arsenal, he played with the aim towards goal rather than endless patient short-passing Xavi does. He definitely can--and did play--a CM, but he's a different type of a CM. He's right that he lacks patience to be the type of a CM Barcelona wanted (Xavi 2.0).

[Jype 6,398]

^ From the same blog cap linked above, Fabregas' quotes (in 2011, mind) about playing at CM :

Cause for concern?

Cause for concern at Barca but definitely not with us. That's exactly why he didn't fit in at Barcelona's midfield, because he's too direct for their liking. At Chelsea direct is exactly what I'm hoping him to be, hate that Barcelona sideways pass shit. At Barcelona it is a sin to play an ambitious pass and lose possession of the ball if the pass gets misplaced but at Chelsea I'm really looking forward to him playing more creative passes from deep because that's what we've been lacking for years now.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

.............Matic.............

.Fabtegas............Kroos.

????

[Polo7 3,496]

.............Matic.............

.Fabtegas............Kroos.

????

We need a runner in there. Ramires would be the better choice. Shame he finished so poorly last season.