Cesc Fàbregas

[Aryagorn]

Cesc doesnt fail in possession play.

Chelsea at home have as much of the ball as anyone and Cesc and so did Arsenal before that and at both clubs he has been the most important player.

Barca play is NOT just posession play...

 

[Flavia]

Why is this getting bumped? He never contributed against parked busses and organized defenses. Some full extended HD highlights from last season to freshen the memories?

1 backheel flick and 1 long range shot - that's his contribution in all Barca chances. Nothing Rakitic can't do. He wasn't playing "out of position", the favourite excuse. It was Pedro-Messi-Alexis upfront and Busquets-Xavi-Fabregas in midfield. His supposed optimal position. This video is also a great showcase why Montoya sucks by the way, but that's a different story.

Same setup against Espanyol away when Barca was veeery lucky to win 1-0 with that funny handball penalty. Neymar instead of Alexis this time. Almost 0 involvement in any chances, 1 backheel flick to Messi and 1 minute later he loses the ball to facilitate an Espanyol counterattack. Xavi is so much more involved in chance creation, just WATCH it. Even Iniesta does more 5 minutes after coming on and playing the ball over the top for Messi to chase only for Kiko Casilla to handball it outside the box and get himself sent off. This video is also a great showcase why Alves is still starting games for Barcelona rightfully by the way, but that's a different story.

I can go on and on, similar stories against Granada, Elche, Osasuna, Valladolid. All lost points away from home last season when teams deny space. All games where he didn't do anything.

It's so easy to look at his assist statistics and pretend that he's a world class chance creator but in reality he only created chance gallore in open games that Barca would win anyway. Levante 7-1, Valencia last season when they were playing a ridiculous high line, Rayo Vallecano who play harakiri football all the time, Real Betis who pushed their backline to the center circle when Pedro assisted himself from ... the center circle. That's the type of games where he racked up those glorious stats. In games where Barca was denied space he didn't contribute. Never. So this is the wrong time to bump the thread I'm afraid. Maybe if Barca lose against Rayo Vallecano we can cry for Cesc.

If Tata didn't TRUST him and Lucho didn't WANT him and no one at the club ever understood how he should be used correctly how does he suddenly walk into the team and perform miracles in that parallel universe of yours? You can live in your "ifs" and "buts" universe where his surroundings just need to be catered for him perfectly for him to start GOATing. I live in the real world where for the first time in my live I've wittnessed a Catalan player getting booed in Camp Nou for playing like dog shit for 3 seasons straight.

The only scenario where Fabregas would start delivering is Mourinhoball. Get the defensive line 40 yards deeper, give the opponent possession, when the opponent loses possession let Fabregas spray long balls to the forward line that is sprinting towards the box. Any sort of controlled possession play and he's useless. Whose fault was it that he got dropped in the Euro qualifier game after losing to Slovakia where he stunk up the place? Xavi preventing him from GOATing?

Funny how everyone accepts that Diego Costa isn't suited to possession football and stinks up the place for Spain because it's so obvious. But with Fabregas who is exactly the same people are still in denial.

Great posts. Cesc couldn't function properly under Pep or Tito, but some still live in a fantasy land where he would walk and dominate Barça's midifield
That never happened for a good reason, and Cesc himself was smart enough to realize it, so he went back to the style of football that suits him, the epl.

 

[KingMessi]

If Tata didn't TRUST him and Lucho didn't WANT him and no one at the club ever understood how he should be used correctly how does he suddenly walk into the team and perform miracles in that parallel universe of yours? You can live in your "ifs" and "buts" universe where his surroundings just need to be catered for him perfectly for him to start GOATing. I live in the real world where for the first time in my live I've wittnessed a Catalan player getting booed in Camp Nou for playing like dog shit for 3 seasons straight.

The only scenario where Fabregas would start delivering is Mourinhoball. Get the defensive line 40 yards deeper, give the opponent possession, when the opponent loses possession let Fabregas spray long balls to the forward line that is sprinting towards the box. Any sort of controlled possession play and he's useless. Whose fault was it that he got dropped in the Euro qualifier game after losing to Slovakia where he stunk up the place? Xavi preventing him from GOATing?

Funny how everyone accepts that Diego Costa isn't suited to possession football and stinks up the place for Spain because it's so obvious. But with Fabregas who is exactly the same people are still in denial.

UrseGOAT

 

[Morten]

Some say Cesc sucks in thigth spaces and excells when he has alot of space. That may be true, but its not as easy as that. For one, i dont remember a single classico in recent years were Cesc played well in, maybe had an assist here or there, a couple of moments of briliance, but i cant say i remember him at all in these games. We sat back against you alot but i would still say that at times we played fairly open against you in a few matches. Cesc couldnt do much either way. Now he is doing excellent for chelski, and you can bet that most teams lay low on stamford bridge, but he pick up assists and create chances for fun there.

 

[Ursegor]

Some say Cesc sucks in thigth spaces and excells when he has alot of space. That may be true, but its not as easy as that. For one, i dont remember a single classico in recent years were Cesc played well in, maybe had an assist here or there, a couple of moments of briliance, but i cant say i remember him at all in these games. We sat back against you alot but i would still say that at times we played fairly open against you in a few matches. Cesc couldnt do much either way. Now he is doing excellent for chelski, and you can bet that most teams lay low on stamford bridge, but he pick up assists and create chances for fun there.

You're a Real Madrid fan. You should be familiar with Mourinhoball. Even when teams visited you at home and played it more cautiously you got plenty of counterattacking opportunities once the ball was turned over. Direct football remained the setup of the team. Even when you had 60+ % possession in some games, which did happen, it didn't turn you into a methodical possession team all of a sudden. When you won the league under Mourinho you averaged 58.5 % possession at home, exactly the same as Chelsea right now. Those numbers mean very little for the way you play. A quick look at Costa's goals makes this evident rather quickly, most famously his goal against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, which is as route 1 as it gets:

Almost all of them a product of a counterattacking move, passes played into space, several players running into space, very little resembles Barcelona football.

What he does for Chelsea is irrelevant. How irrelevant? Exactly as irrelevant as Costa's record for Chelsea is for his "performances" for Spain.

 

[te amo barca]

Lol, I wonder where all these Cesc defenders were when he SUCKED big time vs parked buses & top clubs. Some people forget too easily.

 

[TotaalVoetbal]

Cesc is excelling against "parked buses" at Chelsea and did so at Arsenal in the past. Posting an out of context clip of a long pass against a defensively unorganized side like Arsenal isn't proof of the brand of football they play.

Chelsea play "patient" football and aren't a counter-attacking side at all apart from Diego Costa. Hazard, Cesc, Oscar and even Willian aren't what I would describe as counter attacking footballers. They all want the ball to feet and thrive on 1 touch football, according to Whoscored, we've scored more (2) counter attacking goals than they have (1) apparently.

Madrid only average 55% possession this season in the League yet according to the media they're no longer a counter attacking team since the introduction of Kroos.

Used correctly and he's devastating, emphasized by the fact he leads Europe in assists despite playing a deeper role this season. Shame it took Mourinho of all people to bring the best out of him.

 

[Hamzah]

It's not like the others were excelling vs parked buses. Cesc cNt do his trademark through pass if nobody is making a good run.

 

[DrPepper]

Yeah, Chelsea are purely counter attack against the big teams but against small teams they're slow and probing with a counter attack threat. It's possible to combine possession play with counter attacking and that's why he is doing well. Chelsea are obviously not as much possession focused as Barca but can also play direct if they see fit. This suits Fabregas pretty well.

But I can see why people like to belittle his performances. He plays for Chelsea, for Mourinho and seems to show more potential than during his time here. No problem.

He simply came to Barca too late. Had he come after the World Cup and won the League and Champions League, no one would doubt his abilities.

 

[Iarwain]

Yeah, Chelsea are purely counter attack against the big teams but against small teams they're slow and probing with a counter attack threat. It's possible to combine possession play with counter attacking and that's why he is doing well. Chelsea are obviously not as much possession focused as Barca but can also play direct if they see fit. This suits Fabregas pretty well.

But I can see why people like to belittle his performances. He plays for Chelsea, for Mourinho and seems to show more potential than during his time here. No problem.

He simply came to Barca too late. Had he come after the World Cup and won the League and Champions League, no one would doubt his abilities.

Similiar to the situation of Guardiola in Bayern. Both came to teams that won everything and were seen as invincible, new guys are the first in line to get shat on when they fail to win CL.

 

[DonAK]

Maybe if Cesc actually played well against tougher opposition he wouldn't get criticised, but hey, why not defend Cesc by shitting over Iniesta like the poster above me does to try and show Cesc as some demi-god who was unfairly criticised and handled by Barca or something.

 

[beautifulgame]

Cesc is excelling against "parked buses" at Chelsea and did so at Arsenal in the past. Posting an out of context clip of a long pass against a defensively unorganized side like Arsenal isn't proof of the brand of football they play.

Chelsea play "patient" football and aren't a counter-attacking side at all apart from Diego Costa. Hazard, Cesc, Oscar and even Willian aren't what I would describe as counter attacking footballers. They all want the ball to feet and thrive on 1 touch football, according to Whoscored, we've scored more (2) counter attacking goals than they have (1) apparently.

Madrid only average 55% possession this season in the League yet according to the media they're no longer a counter attacking team since the introduction of Kroos.

Used correctly and he's devastating, emphasized by the fact he leads Europe in assists despite playing a deeper role this season. Shame it took Mourinho of all people to bring the best out of him.

what parked buses? know u don't mean bullshit defending mid tier english coached teams?

 

[Iarwain]

Maybe if Cesc actually played well against tougher opposition he wouldn't get criticised, but hey, why not defend Cesc by shitting over Iniesta like the poster above me does to try and show Cesc as some demi-god who was unfairly criticised and handled by Barca or something.

I didn't see there was any significant difference between his performances and that of Iniesta/Xavi/[insert almost any other player] in big games. I mentioned here some time ago 8 big games (both club and int.) from only last season in which Iniesta failed to deliver. Would you consider him a big game failure player? Is it solely his fault or the whole system and tactical approach got exposed?

 

[Ritchie]

what parked buses? know u don't mean bullshit defending mid tier english coached teams?

The quality of the Premier League is rubbish outside the top sides, particularly in midfield and at the back.

 

[Andrew M]

LOLZ at people defending Fabregas