The animosity of the Premier League sends shivers down the spine of the proven gladiators: rattling the prospects of the otherwise illustriously glamorous careers of players and thus, making them fall on their knees for large time spans when they don’t acclimatise the system their manager advocates. When the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, John Terry and Yaya Touré are left out of the starting line-up for a notable period, the need to further elucidate upon the competitiveness that this league has on offer doesn’t arise.
One of the big names to fall prey to the aforesaid intangible predator lately is Cesc Fàbregas, who has considerably fallen behind in the pecking order for Chelsea. The 29-year-old midfielder has averaged 46 appearances per season since 2004, but after a considerably poor run of form under José Mourinho’s third-season-syndrome hit 2015-16 campaign followed by dismal performances under the tutelage of Antonio Conte, his days at West London based club seems numbered.
With a total of merely 4 appearances in the league (including only 1 start, that too in Chelsea’s disgraceful loss at the Emirates Stadium), the Spanish international has fallen victim to the tactical ramifications which Conte has introduced after the 3-0 loss to Arsenal. Creation of 5 chances, registering one assist and nothing to show for as far as scoring goals are concerned aren’t the statistics of Fàbregas, we were familiar to. At a stage like this, will the inactivity on the pitch not severely rust his aura and ink the tag of being one of the best midfielders of his generation?
Conte’s switch to 3-4-3 has been the prime reason for Fàbregas being a complete outcast at Chelsea. The Blues sit tight at the pinnacle of the league table, and with every Chelsea player in their peak form, there appears to be little (or no?!) room for the World Cup winning Spaniard which throws his future into a massive doubt. Although Conte might have shrugged off the rumours of Fàbregas in the January transfer window, we can expect a sudden surge of clearing the unwanted personnel after a month from the Italian.
Speaking of strengths, the Pensioners’ no. 4 has aplenty, including the ability to pick out pin-point passes in the final third, knack to kill the opponents defence by completely fooling them with his awareness and off the ball movements, ability to relentlessly run acres on the pitch, possessing a goal-scoring knack and the undeniable experience which very few possess. However, movements with full throttle with power, dynamism and physicality are the calls of the hour for Conte, which aren’t the strongest suits of Fàbregas.
Frankly speaking, irrespective of his flaws, his merits clearly have the upper hand and he still has half a decade of top level football still left in him. Rumours of Arsenal queuing up for him as a replacement for Santi Cazorla are heating up, which tells us that he is still rated among the best in the business. Going back to Arsenal will not only help him to re-establish his career, but it would also help to ease the misery Arsenal fans had to undergo when he lifted the league title in the Chelsea shirt.
Should Arsenal re-sign their prodigal son?
