Bad news for Cesc Fabregas if Chelsea can maintain their bullish desire
If this is the formula for Chelsea to return to their belligerent best under Jose Mourinho, it looks like bad news for Cesc Fabregas.
Ahead of Monday’s trip to Premier League leaders Leicester, Mourinho earned himself a little breathing space through the kind of football he relies upon: muscular, athletic and conservative. There is not much room there for artists like Fabregas.
If a player lacks speed and strength, he has to be seriously creative to become a permanent member of Mourinho’s starting XI. In the past, players like Deco, Wesley Sneijder and, last season, Fabregas himself have won the favour of Mourinho through their skill.
Yet the evidence of this campaign suggests Fabregas might no longer be capable of reaching his best level consistently. Sure, he will do so in certain matches but can he achieve it often enough to satisfy Mourinho?
When a coach is under pressure — as Mourinho is, despite this straightforward victory over Porto — he tends to prefer graft to craft. By the time Chelsea kick off against Leicester, they might be in the bottom three. Victories for Norwich, Newcastle and Bournemouth are all that is required to push the champions into the relegation zone.
Yet with Ramires, rather than Fabregas, alongside Nemanja Matic in central midfield, Chelsea have a better chance of regaining the mean streak that has paved the way for so much of their success. Ramires lacks the technique or vision of Fabregas but he is more mobile, more powerful and far more effective when defending.
If Ramires and Matic can dovetail as they did against Porto, is Fabregas’s best route back into the starting XI as a No10? There is a problem here, too. Oscar was chosen in that spot against Porto and justified his selection with a performance full of verve.
The Brazilian looked fresh and moved about the pitch easily, troubling the Porto defenders with his intelligence on the ball. Yet crucially — and here is the key — he was also very useful when Chelsea did not have possession.
On more than one occasion, Oscar chased back to harry Danilo, Porto’s deep-lying midfielder, or Giannelli Imbula when they tried to start attacks for the visitors. If Mourinho asks Fabregas to do that job, how sure can he be that his instructions will be fulfilled?
If Fabregas really is in decline, perhaps we should not be surprised. Most players do not become key men for club or country until they have turned 20 but this is a footballer who has been working at a high standard since he was 17.
When he was barely 19, Fabregas played in a Champions League Final — Arsenal’s 2006 defeat by Barcelona — and represented Spain in the World Cup that summer. He has 101 caps, an astonishing number in the era of world-class midfielders like Xavi and Andres Iniesta. He has played in five major international tournaments — three World Cups and two European Championships — and in numerous high-pressure fixtures for Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea, suffering injuries along the way.
"If a player lacks speed and strength, he has to be seriously creative to become a permanent member of Mourinho’s starting XI."
It has been a demanding decade, both mentally and physically, and it is unrealistic to expect him to perform regularly as he did in his early twenties.
So how can Mourinho bring the best from Fabregas? Whatever the Portuguese says, it will be tough for Chelsea to qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing in the top four. Their best opportunity to do so is surely to win the trophy and retain their spot in the competition as holders — which is where Fabregas comes in. The Spaniard cannot clock up the miles of Ramires, nor can he combine running with flair like Oscar. Yet he could still be a valuable asset from the bench.
In knockout football, a decisive pass can be the difference between defeat and victory. Despite his difficulties this season, nobody at Chelsea uses the ball better than Fabregas. If the Blues need a goal in the next round, and time is ticking away, bringing on Fabregas would be a smart move indeed. Who better to exploit the positional errors of tired defences than the man who racked up 18 assists in the Premier League last season? Despite finishing as group winners and producing a far more convincing display, Chelsea still have plenty of work to do to be serious contenders for their second Champions League title.
Mourinho was presumably trying to gee-up his players when he remarked that nobody would fear Chelsea in Monday’s draw but while they are dangerous opponents, they are some way below Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, perhaps even PSG. “Everyone wants to play us,” said Mourinho. “They think we are the weakest of the group winners. But when I won the Champions League with Porto in 2004, and Inter Milan in 2010, we were not expected to be champions. So you never know.”
Given Chelsea’s start to the campaign, it would be a greater surprise even than their win in 2012 if they could lift this trophy. But if they genuinely have recaptured their indomitable spirit, then who knows what might happen next spring?