Cesc Fàbregas

[darthvader7888]

X infinity
The mngt favoritism to force him into the lineup no matter whether he suits the system or not at the expense of marginalizing potent threats like Villa Tello etc. has cost us too much. But sadly i have no hope that mngt's Cesc love will go away
All three Cesc Iniesta Xavi should never ever be played all at once. With them you can collect "record points" against mediocre teams like Getafe etc. but come a strong team like Valencia, Madrid etc. our team always struggles

Malaga. Just sayin.
Still though, I agree that we shouldn't use Cesc in the 2nd leg.

 

[ryaninho]

to me every player was ineffective in the game to say cesc was at fault is not adressing the bigger issue with the team. Look even when inesta went into mid nothing changed at all. The thing is with barca big teams or good teams will let have the ball and deny them space, which is what happened yesterday. to the point where even messi could not do a thing. Barca reminds me of arsenal a few years back when they were good. only plan A, but when that does not work no plan B. Yesterday needed a plan B and no one provided that at all. it was same old same old pass pass pas that does not work pass to the side. that not cesc fault at all.

 

[darthvader7888]

to me every player was ineffective in the game to say cesc was at fault is not adressing the bigger issue with the team. Look even when inesta went into mid nothing changed at all. The thing is with barca big teams or good teams will let have the ball and deny them space, which is what happened yesterday. to the point where even messi could not do a thing. Barca reminds me of arsenal a few years back when they were good. only plan A, but when that does not work no plan B. Yesterday needed a plan B and no one provided that at all. it was same old same old pass pass pas that does not work pass to the side. that not cesc fault at all.

I think it was more about us playing badly compared to how we usually play than a lack of a "plan B." I mean, even against parked buses, we always create chances, unlike what happened yesterday. I still think we should use Villa instead of Cesc in the 2nd leg though, I think him with Iniesta in midfield will be more effective against Milan.

 

[DonAndres]

Cesc has been out of it lately and should not play against Madrid. We need Xavi and Iniesta to control the midfield.

 

[barcanuck]

Cesc has been out of it lately and should not play against Madrid. We need Xavi and Iniesta to control the midfield.

I think it's a fair comment but just to remind you CESC is the one who got us the away goal in the first leg

 

[DonAndres]

I think it's a fair comment but just to remind you CESC is the one who got us the away goal in the first leg

I'm not bashing Cesc individually because the whole team has been out of form recently. It's just that with this dip in form, we can't have the added risk of playing Cesc in midfield and we should play Xavi and Iniesta to control it as well as Villa to add another attacking outlet besides Messi and occupy the CB's. Cesc isn't at fault for our losses but we do have to assess the best options currently according to our needs and since Villa is playing great and we require midfield control, he should be dropped for this game.

 

[Kerrybai]

The cesc hate is very unfair, he's been great for us on many occasions. Rotate cesc, Xavi and Iniesta in midfield as others gave said. It's not Cescs fault that the mgmt is making poor decisions.

 

[Stric]

Cesc has indeed been very inconsistent lately, but we can't afford not to use him at all. Even when he's having a bad game, every once in a while he'll have a moment of brilliance, a chipped pass, an assist, whatever, and sometimes that can be a game changer. Without Cesc's directness and his tendency to make himself available for a pass and his hunger to go forward, it'll be more difficult to cut through the increasingly crowded defenses we've been facing. I just wish the management found a way to use both him and Villa at the same time. Villa-Cesc-Messi or Iniesta-Messi-Villa or something like that. He could do wonders with a genuine forward in front of him.

 

[dmode]

I think it's a fair comment but just to remind you CESC is the one who got us the away goal in the first leg

Not only that, he also provided the crucial assist to Iniesta against Malaga in CDR second leg, and took that shot against Getafe that Messi tapped in

 

[darthvader7888]

Cesc has indeed been very inconsistent lately, but we can't afford not to use him at all. Even when he's having a bad game, every once in a while he'll have a moment of brilliance, a chipped pass, an assist, whatever, and sometimes that can be a game changer. Without Cesc's directness and his tendency to make himself available for a pass and his hunger to go forward, it'll be more difficult to cut through the increasingly crowded defenses we've been facing. I just wish the management found a way to use both him and Villa at the same time. Villa-Cesc-Messi or Iniesta-Messi-Villa or something like that. He could do wonders with a genuine forward in front of him.

It's a shame Villa can't play on RW.

 

[Stric]

He did play RW at some moments in yesterday's game, he was kind of alternating between CF and RW, as the team was alternating between 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 in the second half. It's not impossible.

 

[Indignado]

Do you guys think that Cesc could fill Xavi's role?

 

[evilhita666]

Do you guys think that Cesc could fill Xavi's role?

I think he definitely can, however he should be played in that position to get the hang of things, it's no use if he keeps playing false #9 or false #10 or false winger or whatever the hell he is playing as these days... He may never get to be as good as Xavi, but no one ever will, so with the right expectations and correct management, I think Cesc can be his rightful heir, if and only if, he starts to get that responsibility more often, even for shorts periods of time...

 

[jamrock]

Never in a million years

 

[Vapor]

I just wish the management found a way to use both him and Villa at the same time. Villa-Cesc-Messi or Iniesta-Messi-Villa or something like that. He could do wonders with a genuine forward in front of him.

Honestly man. I mean just imagine... Cesc, in the ultra-creative false 9 role feeding lobs, through balls and assists to Messi and Villa, 2 of the best strikers/attackers in the world. There Cesc can maximize his vision, attacking initiative, runs to goal and creative passing. I'm sure Pep would try this without hesitation.

When Messi drops deeper to collect balls, Cesc will make his briliant runs and Messi will have both Cesc and Villa to provide his unparalleled final balls to. Then when Cesc drops deep as a false 9, he has Messi and Villa making runs to pick out with an assist.

Plus Cesc and Villa have hooked up beautifully many times this season. Cesc with such a dope striker is a perfect combo... along with Messi it could be absolute dynamite, backed by the holy trinity of stability/control/boss-manship, Xavi + Iniesta + Busquets.

I think Villa - Cesc - Messi could be extremely devastating if used to great effect. I really hope they try it before the end of the season.

In my mind there is no question that Cesc at his current level is far more creative than Pedro is at his current form. With Cesc on the front 3 along with Villa and Messi, the possibilities actually open up. However, what we do sacrifice by benching Pedro is his workrate, his speed, his tiki-taka, etc.

But I think in games where scoring is Vital (like Milan @ home leg), we could really utilize this attacking-line up. It's the strongest we have IMO. We have our 2 undeniable best midfielders Xavi and Iniesta bossing the game and tearing up defenses with 1-2s and dribbling, and then we have our 3 most creative-in-the-final-end players all up there at once. If it doesn't work out we can sub Tello for Cesc and play MVT or VMT