Cesc Fàbregas

[Elite-BkD]

Fabregas is fine, but he's not by any stretch the extraordinary saviour of Barca that he's being made out to be now that he's actually playing well.
This latest game for example, it was an end to end shoot when he came in, we were able to match the two goals they scored in that period because Messi put on a show, it had nothing to do with Cesc turning anything around.

 

[lostchild]

Cesc helped Spain win a world cup playing as a false 9. Barca also won all their league games last season when he played there.

i actually thought he was rubbish in Spain aswell as in Barca, for some odd reason Del Bosque decided to copy Barca's formation + style of play, but he didnt have some tiny dude named Messi, so what did he do ? exactly what we did when Messi was away or injured, used Fabregas. and to be honest i think it was kind of pathetic, it was like 6 midfielders running around trying to make some sort of chance for a goal, with no decent striker to pass to.

seriously
i think people dont realise that barca doesnt actually use a False9, we use Messi, he may play that so called "position" or "role" of a False9, but it was created and invented FOR him, considering his specific abilities and qualities. that's why its a bit harder to find players for Barca because you have to find specific ones.

i agree Fabregas may be able to play A False 9, but not in Barca's style of play.
its just sad and the whole point of our False9 was that its FALSE, why? because he isnt a typical #9, yet he isnt a typical playmaker or midfielder, and also not a typical winger... he's something crazy that combines all of the above and can actually do all of them really good.
that way, the opponent can't expect it and dont know whats coming.

Fabregas on the other hand, is a typical CM/CAM, he can read the play amazingly to get behind the defense and maybe even score a goal, have an amazing vision for the match-winning pass, and build the play really good with his team-mates. thats about it. thats not our False9.

Well I think that the way you get the most out of having Messi and Neymar in the team is to play them on opposite flanks. Move Cesc to an AM role on top of a diamond then. The end result is the same as him playing in a false number 9 role.

i disagree
Neymar-Messi-Pedro/Sanchez/Tello/Cuenca (lol.. until we figure out who is actually good enough to always play the RW permanently)

Messi is good on the Right wing aswell, i agree.. thats why we swap wings a lot and let everyone wander around and change the play during the game.

if we dont have a suitable replacement for Messi while he's away atm, it doesnt mean we need to go crazy and let a slow CM be our main forward. seriously.
and i dont think it would harm to have another tactic ready for these cases. it would even be better to refresh our player's mind and creativity.
if anything
maybe use Neymar in the middle, i actually belive he can do it.. at least better then Fabregas.

and in all honesty, in the end, its not about all of that ^
its about this -

this is lost and i miss it a lot. this was the reason i got even more inlove with Barca. and i have not seen anything close to that in a while now.

 

[kollegah]

i actually thought he was rubbish in Spain aswell as in Barca, for some odd reason Del Bosque decided to copy Barca's formation + style of play, but he didnt have some tiny dude named Messi, so what did he do ? exactly what we did when Messi was away or injured, used Fabregas. and to be honest i think it was kind of pathetic, it was like 6 midfielders running around trying to make some sort of chance for a goal, with no decent striker to pass to.

seriously
i think people dont realise that barca doesnt actually use a False9, we use Messi, he may play that so called "position" or "role" of a False9, but it was created and invented FOR him, considering his specific abilities and qualities. that's why its a bit harder to find players for Barca because you have to find specific ones.

i agree Fabregas may be able to play A False 9, but not in Barca's style of play.
its just sad and the whole point of our False9 was that its FALSE, why? because he isnt a typical #9, yet he isnt a typical playmaker or midfielder, and also not a typical winger... he's something crazy that combines all of the above and can actually do all of them really good.
that way, the opponent can't expect it and dont know whats coming.

Fabregas on the other hand, is a typical CM/CAM, he can read the play amazingly to get behind the defense and maybe even score a goal, have an amazing vision for the match-winning pass, and build the play really good with his team-mates. thats about it. thats not our False9.



i disagree
Neymar-Messi-Pedro/Sanchez/Tello/Cuenca (lol.. until we figure out who is actually good enough to always play the RW permanently)

Messi is good on the Right wing aswell, i agree.. thats why we swap wings a lot and let everyone wander around and change the play during the game.

if we dont have a suitable replacement for Messi while he's away atm, it doesnt mean we need to go crazy and let a slow CM be our main forward. seriously.
and i dont think it would harm to have another tactic ready for these cases. it would even be better to refresh our player's mind and creativity.
if anything
maybe use Neymar in the middle, i actually belive he can do it.. at least better then Fabregas.

and in all honesty, in the end, its not about all of that ^
its about this -

this is lost and i miss it a lot. this was the reason i got even more inlove with Barca. and i have not seen anything close to that in a while now.

this, where is this fast tiki taka, i really miss this, always got adrenalined if we showed it

 

[beautifulgame]

Fabregas is fine, but he's not by any stretch the extraordinary saviour of Barca that he's being made out to be now that he's actually playing well.
This latest game for example, it was an end to end shoot when he came in, we were able to match the two goals they scored in that period because Messi put on a show, it had nothing to do with Cesc turning anything around.

this

 

[oz187]

i actually thought he was rubbish in Spain aswell as in Barca

Watch the 4-0 thrashing of Italy in the Euro final again. The opposite of rubbish.

Fabregas on the other hand, is a typical CM/CAM, he can read the play amazingly to get behind the defense and maybe even score a goal, have an amazing vision for the match-winning pass, and build the play really good with his team-mates. thats about it. thats not our False9.

LOL, that's a description of the perfect false 9. A false 9 doesn't need the abilities of a winger since he plays in the centre. What he does need is the ability to link up with the midfield to help control the game, provide the final pass(being more advanced than the other midfielders he's best placed to do this) and also get forward and score goals(being the most advanced player in the middle of the pitch he's excellently placed to do this). Cesc is perfectly suited to all of this.

He doesn't have winger abilities, and the ability to dribble past players like Messi would be useful. But he does make up for it because he has a high work rate. Last season Barca won all their League games when Cesc played false 9 and that was him supplying Pedro and Alexis. If he was supplying Messi and Neymar it could be absolutely devastating.

 

[FCBarca]

Watch the 4-0 thrashing of Italy in the Euro final again. The opposite of rubbish.

That was a masterclass midfield performance by Xavi & Iniesta that brought even Pirlo to tears

 

[Indignado]

Last season Barca won all their League games when Cesc played false 9 and that was him supplying Pedro and Alexis. If he was supplying Messi and Neymar it could be absolutely devastating.

I hope you realise he only had 4 assists as false 9 last season and that was against Mallorca and Getafe. He's much more suited to the midfield, to play at false 9 he has to do a lot more than providing the final pass and linking up with the midfield, Cesc especially lacks in acceleration, your description of a false 9 is actually that of an offensive midfielder. Just think about it, Messi is the perfect false 9 and the position was practically invented because of him, now ask yourself if Cesc has the same strenghts and attributes as Messi.

 

[lostchild]

He doesn't have winger abilities, and the ability to dribble past players like Messi would be useful. But he does make up for it because he has a high work rate. Last season Barca won all their League games when Cesc played false 9 and that was him supplying Pedro and Alexis. If he was supplying Messi and Neymar it could be absolutely devastating.

im sorry, but he cant make up for certain skills just with workrate, let him use his workrate at his natural Midfield position.

and about the 4-0 or Barca winning all the games with him as False9..
people must stop with this way of reading stats.. really.. i mean, you can end up with some really weird nonsense conclusions, a team is 11 players. you cant just pick one player and decide that HE was the reason that we won, or that it means anything

we won hundreds of games with Dani Alves being absolute crap in defense. does that mean he's the best option for RB ? no.

and again
i never said Fabregas is a bad player in any way. he's amazing in what he does best. but i really belive his skills shine way less when he's so up front as a forward or Flase9.
a regular False9 (if theres even a role by that name) may suit Fabregas.. but in Barca the whole point of creating the False9 was Messi. meaning - the ability to get past opponents, to be quick enough to go back all the way to midfield and dribble all the way back to the forwards.. if this doesnt happen, yea, the False9 may get some goals, but u lose about 70% of this role's potential. at least in barcelona's style of play.

I hope you realise he only had 4 assists as false 9 last season and that was against Mallorca and Getafe. He's much more suited to the midfield, to play at false 9 he has to do a lot more than providing the final pass and linking up with the midfield, Cesc especially lacks in acceleration, your description of a false 9 is actually that of an offensive midfielder. Just think about it, Messi is the perfect false 9 and the position was practically invented because of him, now ask yourself if Cesc has the same strenghts and attributes as Messi.

this ^

 

[Stric]

The reason why Fabregas "underperformed" as false #9 in Barca is because he was feeding two wide forwards who stay wide. There's no one to pass to. If he was feeding Messi and Neymar, he'd be at his best, in the false #9 role.

 

[Vapor]

The reason why Fabregas "underperformed" as false #9 in Barca is because he was feeding two wide forwards who stay wide. There's no one to pass to. If he was feeding Messi and Neymar, he'd be at his best, in the false #9 role.

I agree. There's not much to create with when the wingers he has to pass to stay wide and are afraid to attack the goal. False 9 with those wingers works with Messi because Messi is something special, and creates all by himself. With Cesc with 2 wide players who can cut through the center and really attack the goal and beat defenders... is scary.

I actually think, if done right, Cesc could work very well as a false 9, and it would be a great way of getting the best out of all our midfielders. If you recall, Cesc was 2nd top scorer and 2nd top assister in the team his first season, when Pep played him up front a lot... outscoring both Pedro and Alexis. Did the same the following year as well (actually tied Alexis, but still) Cesc has tremendous link-up play playing up front with Messi. Yes, his skills in attacking central midfield are immense, but his knack for the final pass, for runs inside the box, and even for finishing is quite sharp as well. Just watch this video for the proof.

Also, I don't think we can judge how he would be at false 9 based on many of his performances from last season when he was just off-form completely. The Fabregas now is playing like a whole different player than his 2nd-half slump self... he is creating all up and down the pitch. He has had a telepathic connection with Messi since he first got here, and it seems like his connection with Neymar is strong as well.

Yes, playing him in false 9 might mitigate some of his talents, but also intensify others, such as the final pass, his runs, his in-the-box link-up and his finishing. I think that in the right circumstance, Neymar - Cesc - Messi in front of Xavi + Iniesta could work amazingly and may even be our best lineup. Perhaps not always, but as an option I think it could really work well, Cesc has played well as false 9 in the past and I think would be better than ever at it now. Although, I do not think it is his STRONGEST position. This tactic would need to be used in the right circumstances.

 

[barca7788]

The reason why Fabregas "underperformed" as false #9 in Barca is because he was feeding two wide forwards who stay wide. There's no one to pass to. If he was feeding Messi and Neymar, he'd be at his best, in the false #9 role.

this.

as sunny said if the two outwide players are Neymar n Messi then its a different league.

 

[Vapor]

Fabregas is fine, but he's not by any stretch the extraordinary saviour of Barca that he's being made out to be now that he's actually playing well.
This latest game for example, it was an end to end shoot when he came in, we were able to match the two goals they scored in that period because Messi put on a show, it had nothing to do with Cesc turning anything around.

No one is saying he's the saviour of Barca right now, but factually he HAS been our best player this entire season, since the summer.

How could you not say he didn't turn that game vs Sevilla around though? Before he came on we were at an absolute standstill as far as creativity goes. Then he gets on and we start actually looking menacing going forward, mostly because of Cesc's movement, positioning and passing. 5 mins in and he slots into the center (false 9 position), Messi hits him on a pass from the right, Fabregas pushes it to Neymar who hits Messi. It's actually the perfect example of why Cesc could play false 9... same as the Valencia goal last game. Regardless, Cesc most definitely injected a LOT when he came on. We went from stale and going no where to actually going somewhere with our possession.

 

[jamrock]

he didn't turn jack, he was in the right place at the right time for the messi move and that's it

 

[Elite-BkD]

No one is saying he's the saviour of Barca right now, but factually he HAS been our best player this entire season, since the summer.

How could you not say he didn't turn that game vs Sevilla around though? Before he came on we were at an absolute standstill as far as creativity goes. Then he gets on and we start actually looking menacing going forward, mostly because of Cesc's movement, positioning and passing. 5 mins in and he slots into the center (false 9 position), Messi hits him on a pass from the right, Fabregas pushes it to Neymar who hits Messi. It's actually the perfect example of why Cesc could play false 9... same as the Valencia goal last game. Regardless, Cesc most definitely injected a LOT when he came on. We went from stale and going no where to actually going somewhere with our possession.

Point was his contributions have been blown out proportion since he found his form. There's nothing factual about that claim..none of Mascherano, Busquets, Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and VV have been playing below Cesc's level this season. Our fullbacks and wingers have been either shit or inconsistent.

I don't know how closely you were paying attention to the match against Sevilla, or if you've had a second viewing (often helps) but there was nothing stale about Barca prior to Cesc coming on, we caused problems and had them scrambling in and around their box with nearly every possession and always looked the more threatening side at 1-0, and they were easily dealt with on the defensive end save of course set pieces. The 2-0 goal was hardly a surprise or against the run of play.
Cesc was good but you have to be joking if you're telling me it was him and not Messi who made the crucial difference on the offensive end.

 

[oz187]

I hope you realise he only had 4 assists as false 9 last season and that was against Mallorca and Getafe.

4 assists and how many goals? And what, 6 games? And this is with him supplying Pedro and Alexis.

He's much more suited to the midfield, to play at false 9 he has to do a lot more than providing the final pass and linking up with the midfield, Cesc especially lacks in acceleration, your description of a false 9 is actually that of an offensive midfielder. Just think about it, Messi is the perfect false 9 and the position was practically invented because of him, now ask yourself if Cesc has the same strenghts and attributes as Messi.

No he doesn't have all the same attributes as Messi, but that doesn't matter because he plays the role differently. When Messi is false 9, the whole team plays for him. They get him the ball as much as possible for him to work his magic. Where a true 9 needs the ball in an advanced position to attack the defense, Messi as a false 9 can get the ball deeper and use acceleration and dribbling to attack the defense. It suits him being close to the midfield because it gives him a good supply line and having inverted wingers to aim for allows him to use his vision.

When Cesc is false 9, he plays for the team. He acts as a fulcrum for the team to play around. He acts as a link between the midfield and attack just as Busi acts as a link between the defense and midfield. With his workrate he supports the midfield both as an extra passing option(making tiki-taka more fluid) and defensively in terms of pressing. Being closer to the forwards he is a better position to play progressive passes and through balls than if he was attacking midfielder, he is also closer to the box so can use his goalscoring ability better than if he was attacking midfielder.