Cesc Fàbregas

[barcanuck]

New nickname I saw on Twitter for him. The walking Cesc

 

[eye-switcher]

Ah come on he hasnt been good but enough of the abuse already, he is one of our players and alot of our players have been bad this season.

 

[Chainsaw]

Still faster than Cesc.

 

[Hamzah]

Real football is just like FIFA. You must have a pace stat over 75.

 

[Armando929]

Why so many people are fixated on 'replacing' Xavi is beyond me. Cesc does what Xavi cannot do, and vice a versa. Cesc's through balls and attacking prowess are miles ahead of Xavi. Xavi sucks at basically everything accept moving sideways or backwards passes and controlling tempo on bigger games when we need him. We've got to have the balls to phase him out, because right now he is a liability that many people are turning a blind eye to. We need to move on from the old tiki taka and revamp it. The idea of wanting to BUY another midfielder at this point is absurd and wasteful in the same vein as buying high and selling low trend. We need to wise up and make smart choices, like playing Cesc deeper and configuring this team for success.

Lately we suffer with Xavi ON the pitch too. No forward efficiency at all. We move laterally and pass the ball no where (I'm sure Cruyff roles his eyes when he sees current squad). If anything I'd like to tailor the midfield to Cesc's strengths with greater final third effectiveness, through balls, and versatility at the expense of slowing down the midfield a bit that is fine. We are not a counter attacking team anyway, so it will not be crippling like some say. Transition play slows down yet final third play picks up in efficiency, I'll take that!

This is not a Xavi bashing post, this is a reality let's wake up from this dream we've been living in and use our players according to their strengths. Xavi should no longer be playing 30 La Liga games, he should be playing 18-20 in a supportive role. Cesc should be given the reigns of midfield, after all that is why he was brought in, so let's give it a shot. Up until this point, it's always been tentative, we need to make it a point that the midfield now belongs to Cesc. I believe this will dramatically change how Cesc approaches games and he will feel a defined role versus teetering in and out of the game.

Sums up the way I feel.

We can still still play Barca futbol but we need to change a few things. Overcrowding the midfield with Cesc, Xavi, and Iniesta, and Messi as a false 9 won't work anymore.

We need to phase Xavi out, buy a striker, and a CB, not to mention get an adequate GK.

Selling Cesc makes no sense. We did so much to bring him here. We simply need to play him in a set position, and let it be what's it's gonna be.

I too miss our 2010-2011 team but those days are gone and we do need to move forward.

 

[Lomar1o]

should've kept alcantara and sold this guy. now we're doomed.

 

[ZenI]

I would keep him at least another season to see if he can really break through, so far he hasn't given us that extra edge I was hoping for. Some assists against weaker teams and some goals, but as soon as it gets tough he disappears and just makes painfully stupid decisions. If we sell, and I think that will never happen, I wouldn't exactly miss him tbh - but that of course depends on who replaces him.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

Cesc is a good player and very useful. He dominates against weaker teams and 90% of the season are matches against weaker teams. So play him there and let him sit in the big games. Where's the problem?
And most of the big games are cup games where you have 2 ties. If we win the first and need to secure the next round, play Cesc with 3 other midfielders, have 80% possession, kill the game and advance to the next round.

Cesc is happy, Xavi is happy, we are happy and that's it.

 

[CatalinR10]

Cesc is a good player and very useful. He dominates against weaker teams and 90% of the season are matches against weaker teams. So play him there and let him sit in the big games. Where's the problem?

The problem is that the coach won't have the balls to bench him against big teams and will move different players out of position only that he could be in the first 11.

Also , I don't think he would enjoy sitting on the bench in the big games.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

That's true but that's a different issue. The coach has to make the right decisions and only then you can judge the player's performances. IF sitting against big teams would be a problem, you would have to discuss a transfer.
Right now I would keep him because of the reasons I stated.

 

[Ritchie]

Cesc is a good player and very useful. He dominates against weaker teams and 90% of the season are matches against weaker teams. So play him there and let him sit in the big games. Where's the problem?
And most of the big games are cup games where you have 2 ties. If we win the first and need to secure the next round, play Cesc with 3 other midfielders, have 80% possession, kill the game and advance to the next round.

Cesc is happy, Xavi is happy, we are happy and that's it.

He dominates games Barca dominate. When it's a tough game he's nowhere.

 

[Stric]

He dominates games Barca dominate. When it's a tough game he's nowhere.

And which Barca player dominates when Barca doesn't dominate?

When you put it the other way around, you see it makes no sense.

Surely even when Barca doesn't dominate, some players are better than others and we've all seen how bad Cesc can be, but you can't expect any player to dominate when the team as a whole isn't functioning.

 

[Vapor]

He dominates games Barca dominate. When it's a tough game he's nowhere.

Stric said it well. When Is the last time youve seen Xavi dominate a game Barca werent dominating? Maybe in his prime but that rarely happens these days... Iniesta with his magic pulls it off sometimea but its a rare thing. Not to mention, its hard for Cesc to thrive in big games when there are only 2 strikers up front and 3 CMs and a DM on the pitch.

 

[Barcilliant]

He dominates games Barca dominate. When it's a tough game he's nowhere.

True that.

What is the use of having La Masia and talented youngsters if we don't use them??

Denis Suarez and Rafinha should be promoted to the first team. Sell Cesc, Song/Mascherano & put Sergi Roberto out on loan.

I don't think Cesc is going anywhere. Utd were interested in him but since Van Gaal is most likely taking over I doubt Cesc would move to Utd. We're stuck with him. He was a good player for Arsenal but I have never really seen him dominate a game like Yaya, Busquets, Xavi & Iniesta.

 

[Superstar85]

Bringing him (and Tello) in completely changed the game tonight