Cesc Fàbregas

[Antimadridista1]

He's probably the player who's been whistled the most at the Camp Nou this season. I'm pretty sure that this is one of the main reason why he's leaving => culés don't specially like him.

 

[Alarcón]

Yes, that's certainly part of the reason, although it has to be said that he was applauded in the last game against Atlético when he was subbed off for Xavi.

 

[ZenI]

He's probably the player who's been whistled the most at the Camp Nou this season. I'm pretty sure that this is one of the main reason why he's leaving => culés don't specially like him.

Well, I was never a fan. It's absolutely not something personal, I just thought that he was forced into the starting 11 without a 'natural' position - the way we played/play anyway. But that he was whistled was just low, it sucks - ungrateful spoiled brats.

 

[FCBarca]

It was always incumbent on Cesc to win the fans over, not the other way around...You go out the back door at 15 then you have to win the public's support...Disappearing at trophy time doesn't endear you to Catalan fans when you also came with a big price tag...He never did enough to win that from the fans and, for me, it was always on him for failing to have impressed...Nothing to do with spoiled when you are on top of the world on his arrival but sink since

 

[ViscaBarca914]

Its a mistake to sell this guy. That's all.

 

[linetty]

Its a mistake to sell this guy. That's all.

It was a mistake to buy him in the first place.

 

[Maria]

A lot of truths there, particularly in terms of the timeline

And a lot of facts manipulation to suit his story.

"2011: Barcelona are the best side in the world. Some journalists are saying the best side EVER. Pep pushes hard to add Fabregas. He's signed"

Pep didn't had to push at all to sign Cesc because everybody and their mom at the club wanted him, especially Rosell who couldn't stop talking about him before and after he became president(also funny how about Cesc nobody says that he was brought by a big name in Barca's lockroom - Pique, like they said about Tata and Messi or about Kun this summer). And you only need to see how much Alexis is mocked by the catalan press and Cesc has eulogies written even today to realize who was bought by Pep and who by Rosell(the same with Ter Stegen, who hasn't even played a minute for Barca and is already criticized..why? because he was bought by Zubi..meanwhile today I read in MD that Neymar is the best player in the world).

"He starts out with a flurry of goals and assists, linking well with Messi. However, he does so by evacuating the midfield very fast. Once teams suss that out (a few months), they exploit that midfield weakness. So, Pep moves him up front. This makes our front line FAR slower. He's played on the left wing and drops deep a lot, getting in the way of Iniesta and affecting his form. He also stops scoring."

That's not how I remember it..even from the beginning Cesc was the midfielder more advanced and played with atleast one of Xavi/Thiago behind him, sometimes even both of them while Cesc was exchanging places with Messi(and that tells me that Pep knew exactly what kind of midfielder he was getting and he didn't tried to make him the controlling midfielder because he knew that Cesc can't be one for us). Also Cesc comming at Barca had nothing to do with Iniesta's form until February, especially when the man was struggling with injuries and played only 41% of the available minutes in La Liga&CL until Christmas(and Iniesta wasn't the only one having that problem but I guess he couldn't blame Cesc for the poor form&injuries of Villa, Pedro, Dani Alves and Pique). In that time Barca played 28 games in total, but Iniesta and Cesc only played together 25% of those minutes. So Cesc must have been some kind of magician to affect Iniesta so bad when they played so little together.

Then he says that the teams needed a few months to figure us out, when we had problems with the games away from home in La Liga from the beginning and Messi scored only one goal in those games until January.

"to the point at which Pep angrily shoves him after subbing him off in one game. It's played down as banter. It was not banter. Pep was angry."

Yes, and that was unseen from Pep:

"One season after being the best in the world, Barcelona, with the star Fabregas, scraped their way to a single cup win and Pep resigned."

Pep didn't actually resigned, he just didn't renew his contract(and keep in mind that this wasn't something he decided in April, it was probably decided before February because usually that month is when Pep renewed his previous 2 contracts). Also Cesc played 30 minutes in the only 3 games that Barca lost in the league while Thiago played 246 minutes in those games, but I don't see him take the blame. And in the SFs it's convinient how he doesn't mention Messi's performance(lost the ball in the midfield for Chelsea to score and missed a penalty) or that of other players before putting the blame on only one of them.

"Before even the end of that season, Pep had identified Cesc as a player who should be sold, but it was not doable. Too much pressure."

I could just as well say that the player of which Pep wanted to get rid of was Xavi and I would have the same evidence for this as he does when he makes this statement.

"Eventually. The man most affected was Thiago Alcantara. Thiago got appearances even with Cesc present, but not as many as he should have and ...Markedly few starts."

Seriously? That season Thiago had 2947 minutes from 45 appearences(31 starts). For a 20 y.o. they were more than enough and similar with Busi at the same age: 2912 minutes from 41 appearences(29 starts). That is unless he wanted Thiago to start 50 games in his first season as a first team player.

And I would continue, but I already feel too dirty after I defended Cesc so much.

 

[footyfan]

Nice post Maria.

Barca in Aug-Nov 2011 and March-Apr 2012 was one of the best teams I've ever seen, Messi was the biggest part of that but Cesc also played his role.

 

[Robbie]

This whole saga is depressing. Cesc would have been a legend at Arsenal if he stayed. He only left because he was going home to his family and friends, and somehow it didn't work out. Now he's going to a club whose fans don't really want him, because there's no place for him at Arsenal. Sometimes I wonder if he regrets leaving. He did win many things, but was it worth it?

 

[Vapor]

This whole saga is depressing. Cesc would have been a legend at Arsenal if he stayed. He only left because he was going home to his family and friends, and somehow it didn't work out. Now he's going to a club whose fans don't really want him, because there's no place for him at Arsenal. Sometimes I wonder if he regrets leaving. He did win many things, but was it worth it?

I was thinking the same thing. I was a big fan of Cesc during his time at Arsenal. I wanted him to succeed here badly, but turns out the opposite happened. Depressing indeed... Especially the fact that he'll be playing for fucking Mourinho.

Might have been better for him to stay at Arsenal, but hey, hindsight is 20/20.

Has he come out with any statements since the Pique / VdB slip up?

 

[KingMessi]

He'll be playing for fucking Mourinho.

Let's hope he gets sacked next season, and Abramovich hires Simeone instead. Pls.

 

[linetty]

The whole team was shit in the second half of the season but only Cesc gets criticised..

Cesc has been shit in the second part of the season consecutively for the past 3 seasons and he has been played by the coach even with questionable form & that caused a significant drop in quality in midfield which is the most important area of the game, no control in midfield is bad for defence and for the attack.

 

[AnfieldEd]

Excellent riposte Maria.

 

[Howes]

Lot of talk in today's papers that Chelsea are confident of getting him for less then £30mil

 

[Arsenal Fan]

Lot of talk in today's papers that Chelsea are confident of getting him for less then £30mil

His release clause is 29.5Mil (33Mil Euro) isit not or is that just Arsenal's buy back clause ?