Cesc Fàbregas

i_bleed_blaugrana

Senior Member
He's played a shit amount of times as a CM in the last 3 years and didn't do shit. I still wonder how isn't it obvious yet for everyone that Cesc isn't suited for CM at Barcelona.

Lol no, he hasn't. Did you watch Pep's last season here? Almost exclusively played as the false 9 whenever him and Xavi were in the lineup. Same during Tito and Tata's tenures here, only games he truly played as a CM is when Xavi was rested.

That's what all of you don't seem to understand, there isn't going to be another player at least for a good 2-3 years who will be a better fit for this club than Cesc. The only other players I would want for Xavi's role in the future are either Thiago Alcantara or Oliver Torres, and neither are an immediate improvement over Cesc right now.



Cesc and Iniesta will never play together under a more competent manager than Tata. In fact the game against Atletico was the first time that I remember Cesc and Iniesta playing together without Xavi against a meaningful opponent. It resulted in the worst pressing and ball retention I have ever seen from a Barcelona team since the Rijkaard days.

04MTQw.png


2 balls recovered in the opponent's half.

I will end this discussion here. We've already reached the point of total disagreement (Cesc-Iniesta midfield not being total garbage). Discussing further makes no sense.

That graphic has aboslutely nothing to do with Cesc's involvement with the team and everything to do with the ill-advised tactics Tata has been implementing since January. Watch the clip below and you will see a prime example of why we have fallen this season. No team coordination, no organization, no cohesiveness. All vital elements to making our style of football effective.


I won't say I've been thrilled with every game Cesc has played and I am not just a blind Cesc fanboy, I just think since he has gotten here, he has never been put in a position to excel. No continuity in his role, and he has always had to play with two players, not just one, occupying the space he likes to operate in.

If he plays as a CM and most importantly has three actual forwards in front of him, he will succeed. Even against Atletico, he played a key pass in the buildup to the goal and we enjoyed 67% possession total, hardly indicative of us being unable to control matches and possession when he is on the field for Xavi.

I understand the frustrations with him since it hasn't been the rosy reunion we all expected but I just get really annoyed by all the moronic arguments lobbied against him. People say he doesn't fit here yet we should keep Alexis who has stuck out like a sore thumb in this team since day fucking one? I just don't get the revisionist accounts people have on here just because they seem to have a vendetta against the guy.

His first season here was the only time we truly had a proper coach for the team and there is always an adjustment season when players come from outside to our team due to our style. And even then, Pep played him out of position.

Between the cataclysmic management of this team and him being continually played out of position, those are much bigger contributions to him struggling here so far. The guy is still a world-class CM and if we get actual forwards and strikers for him to pass to, I think he would be much better.

Long story short, its the system not him.
 
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Aryagorn

Improvin' Perfection!!
What do you mean "replace"? You don't need to worry about "replacing" someone who doesn't even have a fixed role or position in the team. Most of the game time he gets is forced upon the team based on his name, not based on merit. For example, if Whoscored is correct, he has started 10 games as a false 9 this season. Totally unnecessary. Buy a striker or use Alexis or Neymar there. Then you have lots of big games where no one wanted him to start because he forced Neymar to the right and Iniesta to the left wing. If we want to play like that ("control with 4 midfielders") then Rafinha already makes much more sense as he can play on the RW and actually play well there because he can dribble, take on defenders and is faster and more agile than Cesc. Won't force Neymar and Iniesta out of position either. And then there are the easier home games against midtable and relegation fodder where Rafinha can replace him without a shadow of doubt. Replacing his minutes won't be a problem at all. A single midfielder doesn't have to do it. An imaginative coach can vary the formations. We could even play 4-2-3-1 at times with Messi in a withdrawn midfield role.

The question would have made sense if Cesc-Iniesta combo would have proven to work. But it hasn't. They have played together very few times, mostly in easier games. Most of Cesc's minutes weren't even necessary (false 9, 4 midfielders etc.).
^^

But we need another mid fielder... Not to replace Cesc per se, but to be good enough to win matches throughout the season
 

Pepe Silvia

Active member
Hypothetically speaking, if Lucho is left scratching his head like every other Barca coach figuring out Cesc's role in the team, I'd much rather we just get rid of him. This goes for every player on our roster, no matter how big the name.
 

sabby

New member
Sport saying Man Utd bid for Cesc @55m € If that is true I say take it run. We can easily get Vidal with that amount and left with some change.
 

Arsenal Fan

New member
Sport saying Man Utd bid for Cesc @55m € If that is true I say take it run. We can easily get Vidal with that amount and left with some change.

If that's the case Arsenal will be informed of the offer & will likely do everything they can to get Cesc back, Even if you accepted a bid from Utd, I'm confident Cesc would turn it down

This time last year Arsene Wenger said “Fabregas has decided to stay one more year at Barcelona,”

“Has he changed his mind. I don’t know. But that’s what I have been told. We have the clause in his contract so we would be on alert but at the moment that’s not something we are after.”


Fabregas has also said “Apart from Arsenal and Barcelona, I don’t see myself playing anywhere else,”

“I will definitely be going back (to Arsenal) whenever I have time to watch games and to see the guys, and you never know in the future, why not?

“I hope I will stay here (Barcelona) for a very long time, and maybe even retire here, but why not? In life, you can never say never, and if there is one place to go back to, it is Arsenal for sure.”
 

anguy

New member
If that's the case Arsenal will be informed of the offer & will likely do everything they can to get Cesc back, Even if you accepted a bid from Utd, I'm confident Cesc would turn it down

This time last year Arsene Wenger said “Fabregas has decided to stay one more year at Barcelona,”

Arsenal bought Ozil last year. I don't think they still have place for Cesc, they need striker, DM and defender.
 

Hamzah

High Definition Member
Sport saying Man Utd bid for Cesc @55m € If that is true I say take it run. We can easily get Vidal with that amount and left with some change.

if cesc doesn't fit how the fuck would vidal/pogba etc fit? i don't understand the logic sometimes. it's obvious we need a possesion type player who can take xavi's position.
 

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