Cesc Fàbregas

[zakhov 253]

If he's anything like me, all he needs is a few cups of coffee to get going faster.

[Chelseabluerising 60]

I thought I was watching 2014/15 season again he assists Costa scores 😝

[Captain Ahmed 528]

even assisting a red card

[Unionjack 7,531]

I still love Cescy.

Its a bastard innit. Hes probably our most creative player and I get a semi with that pinpoint long pass he makes. That one was so like when he 1st teamed up with Diego wasn't it eh.

The problem is he just doesnt have the legs or defensive skills to suit it.

If we put him in a 3 man midfield in deep playmaker roll between N'Golo/Matic and Luiz we would own the center of the pitch.

I dont know what our other options are with him. Hes not going to sit on the bench week after weeek waiting for games like yesterday is

Now if we could do like in the NFL and have special teams I'd happily keep him AND EVEN iva for the kicking team. Send Iva up for set pieces then take him straight off after.

But I would do all I could to try to find a position for him.

Unless of course we can find a CM with XCescys footballing head and passing skills along with Matics toughness and N'Golos legs and lungs.. Verratti might fit the bill. I'd do all we coiuld to buy him                                                                  

[Unionjack 7,531]

And c'mon ffs. How the hell do you call what he did to that other fuckin lunatic Fernandinho a slap???

You could see he was trying to chill him out and he was trying to get his attention. There was no animosity or power in that 'slap' Nothing for him to throw a wobbly and retaliate like he did.

What might of happened after tho could be Cescy took advantage of the situation, took a quick look to see where he was being taken by his throat, and knew peeps would stop his fall over the advertising boards.

Now if hes going to be bollocked by the FA then let it be for his acting ability but never for that slap.

And I'm not just saying it cause I'm biased.

[KevinAshburner 1,270]

instead of selling/loaning out Fabregas, because of his weaknesses in his game/playing style.

why don't Chelsea just send him to someone to teach him how to tackle and how to defend and fix his weaknesses.

instead of him sitting on the bench.

if he wants to play more then send him to a football teaching coach and fix his weaknesses.

[akgw13 867]

I have and will always have my criticism of Fab, however i am really happy for him because he has been an absolute professional about this situation. He hasn't bitched and complained and sulked. he trained hard like a pro and when given his chance he showed he still has something to offer. Will i always worry a little when he plays in a 2 man midfield? yes. were alot of our issues down the right side where Matic would have been helping? yes. Could we have scored that first goal and swung momentum without him? no. I really am happy for the guy. Against more defensive teams I am confident he can play with kante, that is something i never thought id be able to say. Kudos Cesc!

[Rekin 835]

I know some people will praise him for his assist, but for me he had a really poor game. I dont fully blame him for it, he is simply not adapted to what was expected of him. The pass to Costa was excellent, but it is easy to forget that by the time the pass came, we could have already been in so much trouble. Fabregas did very little to help Alonso, meaning that the left flank was completely open, leading to the own goal together with several other dangerous situations. The way City was lined up meant that we could have been in control of the game if we had been stronger in the centre. Matic would have closed down KDB a lot more, and we would not have been forced to rely on a miracle to come back.
 

Is calling it a miracle too harsh on us? Yes and no. 

City played better. They had a very exposed starting eleven that depended on constant pressure in our half. The gap between defenders and midfielders was huge, but as long as they dominated possession and got a strong lead, they could bring in a few defenders and see it out. Aguero twice and KDB missed absolute sitters, and if Otamendi would have shut down Hazard the way Aguero was shut down by Luiz I would have been screaming for a red. We were extremely lucky in the first hour to only be down by one goal, and it allowed us to come back because Guardiola pressed for a second instead of trying to play more carefully. We countered beautifully, and punishing an opponent is something a manager/team deserves credit for, so there is that.

What I want to say about Fabregas is simply that he does not work in our current formation. I am sure he could see games here and there, but he will never be a starter again as long as we play the same way as now. It is unfair to Cesc to expect him to rely on injuries. The best thing for everyone is to cash in on him while he still has a value, and get another midfielder that better fits the way we play. Conte adapted the way we play to the team we have, but that does not mean that everyone fits in. We have 5 games coming up where we are expected to win, IF that happens that would mean 13 wins in a row. Rarely is a manager in such a good negotiating position with the board to push for his transfers. 
 

I know January is hard for recruiting, but if we lose one of Kante/Matic/Costa/Hazard/Luiz/Azpili to an injury, we could undo a lot of hard work. January must see us reinforcing if we want to go for the title. 

[Special Juan 28,132]

I think under the circumstances he did well. He has been injured, has hardly played and was called upon to fill a void left by Matic, who has himself been brilliant this season. Not only that but what a baptism of fire for him, City away, possibly the hardest task of all this season.

I also think everyone of the players should be given a huge pat on the back for Saturday.

[different level 1,056]

I think Cesc did okay. His assist to Diego was a moment straight from the 14/15 season and the goal itself was a very similar to the one against Arsenal in the autumn of 2014. And oh my god, he's one cheeky bastard The little slap that he gave Fernandinho and then immediately went on the defensive while the latter started raging at him. Priceless

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

I'm actually thinking we should give him another start against West Brom.  We're at home and if City couldn't expose him with all the attacking options they have I can't see West Brom posing much of a threat. He provides us with an elite level passer and basically someone capable of unlocking a Pulis team.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

1 hour ago, Chelsea Legend 11 said:

I'm actually thinking we should give him another start against West Brom.  We're at home and if City couldn't expose him with all the attacking options they have I can't see West Brom posing much of a threat. He provides us with an elite level passer and basically someone capable of unlocking a Pulis team.

Its not all black and white. If city couldnt, Wba couldnt either etc. You can lose to a much lesser opponent if you are underestimating them. 

On another night, we could concede 5 goals because of Cesc, Alonso and Cahill poor connection. If Matic is well, I would play him because it gives us stability and we have linked well in past games without Cesc. We created lot of chances, but sometimes our attackers failed to realize them. Perhaps instead of playmaker, we would need another clinical finisher, but we dont have one atm. 

I would stick with Matic if he is ready, and bring Cesc soon as second half, if we lack creativity. 

City game, until equalizer, we did very poorly in defense, so I would not risk that again. Considering we can control game against Wba much better than city one, our attack should be fine without Cesc. 

I also feel Kante operate better next to Matic, because he can play more freely. 

 

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

12 hours ago, BlueLyon said:

Its not all black and white. If city couldnt, Wba couldnt either etc. You can lose to a much lesser opponent if you are underestimating them. 

On another night, we could concede 5 goals because of Cesc, Alonso and Cahill poor connection. If Matic is well, I would play him because it gives us stability and we have linked well in past games without Cesc. We created lot of chances, but sometimes our attackers failed to realize them. Perhaps instead of playmaker, we would need another clinical finisher, but we dont have one atm. 

I would stick with Matic if he is ready, and bring Cesc soon as second half, if we lack creativity. 

City game, until equalizer, we did very poorly in defense, so I would not risk that again. Considering we can control game against Wba much better than city one, our attack should be fine without Cesc. 

I also feel Kante operate better next to Matic, because he can play more freely. 

 

You make it sound like Cesc is a shit player and by playing him we're underestimating our opponent. On the contrary I think this is precisely the game we need someone like Cesc, and the City game is exactly the one you wouldn't want to see him.

I have no idea why you keep referencing the City game... It has nothing to do with it. We're at home, we will need to be proactive and in my estimation Cesc provides more of that incisiveness. I think the exact opposite to you, get a lead then bring on Matic to slam the door if he's healthy.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

13 minutes ago, Chelsea Legend 11 said:

You make it sound like Cesc is a shit player and by playing him we're underestimating our opponent. On the contrary I think this is precisely the game we need someone like Cesc, and the City game is exactly the one you wouldn't want to see him.

I have no idea why you keep referencing the City game... It has nothing to do with it. We're at home, we will need to be proactive and in my estimation Cesc provides more of that incisiveness. I think the exact opposite to you, get a lead then bring on Matic to slam the door if he's healthy.

Im saying what it is. Cesc is great passer and thats it. Everything else is not on level and Im not gonna let it kill our balance. 

We had many many games where Cesc demonstrated that. Just because he made two brilliant passes against city and was virtualy invisible for rest of game doesnt make him back to his best or whatever. 

He did great against Leicester too, and people were jumping on that wagon, like you do now but we lost 3:0 to Arsenal after.

I for one think I saw enough of Cesc to keep my opinion the same as I did back in 2015 when I said he has to be replaced by someone who can perform under pressure. 

On paper, yes its perfect game for Cesc. Wba is gonna park the bus and we could use some creativity to break it. But it could turn ugly and I wouldnt want to risk. 

Thankfuly it will be up to Conte to decide. IMO if Matic is fit he will play.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

1 minute ago, BlueLyon said:

Im saying what it is. Cesc is great passer and thats it. Everything else is not on level and Im not gonna let it kill our balance. 

We had many many games where Cesc demonstrated that. Just because he made two brilliant passes against city and was virtualy invisible for rest of game doesnt make him back to his best or whatever. 

He did great against Leicester too, and people were jumping on that wagon, like you do now but we lost 3:0 to Arsenal after.

I for one think I saw enough of Cesc to keep my opinion the same as I did back in 2015 when I said he has to be replaced by someone who can perform under pressure. 

On paper, yes its perfect game for Cesc. Wba is gonna park the bus and we could use some creativity to break it. But it could turn ugly and I wouldnt want to risk. 

Thankfuly it will be up to Conte to decide. IMO if Matic is fit he will play.

Listen, we have a squad you can't expect this team to go through the Christmas period without any sort of rotation, that is suicide.

I think he still adds value to this team in certain situations, this game against WBA at home is precisely one of them. If you want to win the title you need a squad not an XI... If you don't utilize the squad when you can you run the risk of having them so under cooked that they can't make any impact at all. 

Conte has established his preferred XI, we know who the horses are. The job of the manager now is to incorporate the squad now so they don't burn out in January.

We will see how it goes, I trust Conte and feel he has a strong understanding of how to utilize a squad.