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Cesc Fabregas has crossed seas, leaving the cities of his formative years, Barcelona and London, only to return, oscillating between ensconced locales in search of a happiness that can only be provided by fulfilling an unobtainable ambition.
At 21 years of age, Fabregas had already achieved the titles of European champion and captain of Arsenal. By the age of 23, Fabregas added the accolade of World Cup champion to his collection. Undoubtedly one of the most talented playmakers of his generation, Fabregas has been capped over 100 times by Spain while his club achievements include La Liga, Copa del Rey, Premier League and FA Cup triumphs.
He provides a team with rhythm, with a succinctness that, when on form, furnishes sides with an attacking edge and clarity dictated by a pulse derived from his technique, control and creativity.
A playmaker with an amazing range of passing, blessed with vision and an innate understanding of effective timing and spacial awareness, Fabregas is a player with which managers may build a lineup around.
As is the case with any key component of a team, when Fabregas struggles, the whole of the side is deeply affected. Off his game, you have the Chelsea of present: an unfixed metronome, out of sync with its usual beat and only providing a redundancy of pedestrian attacking intent. No longer exhibiting a fluid plan of attack, Chelsea have become blunt to the extreme.
Photo: @GoalUSA | Twitter
They’ve been thoroughly bossed by Bournemouth and Leicester squads that look comparatively assured of their strengths and purpose. The resulting image, perhaps unfairly, is that of a disinterested Fabregas. The game seems to bypass him entirely as he reaches desperately for any kind of foothold in the proceedings.
Amidst building pressure and calls for immense change within the club, Cesc Fabregas, World Cup winner and 12-year professional at the age of only 28, is being dragged through the mud.
Cesc Fabregas' individual highlights vs Spurs... pic.twitter.com/tj7z35O6fZ
— Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) December 1, 2015Cesc Fabregas: The Pursuit of Happiness
When Fabregas signed an 8-year contract extension with Arsenal in 2006, he cited Arsenal’s style and his own personal contentment as keys to the deal. At the time, Fabregas said, “When I am on the pitch I really enjoy myself, and this is so important for a player. I’m not sure if I could play in a team which played long balls all the time. Our type of game makes me feel so happy.”
In the face of losing their best players to rival opposition and being unable to mount a serious title challenge, Fabregas returned to his boyhood club of Barcelona and proclaimed, “I know I can enjoy it and make a contribution. I’m going to try very hard to make this team even more competitive and strong.”
His time at Barcelona turned increasingly sour as he was continuously played out of position, as a winger, supporting forward or false-9, and failed to build off of a dazzling debut season in which he notched 15 goals and 20 assists in 48 appearances. On leaving Barcelona, Fabregas telling remarked that his “statistics are not bad, but I know that in the big games these goals and assists have not emerged.”
Playing for Barcelona, wearing the number four shirt and coming under increased scrutiny as time progressed, Fabregas asked for a transfer. Upon arriving in London, Fabregas touched again on the familiar concept which he so desperately seeks: “If I didn’t think that I’d be happy at Chelsea, I would’ve never made this decision. Above all, I want to be happy both professionally and personally.”
Like his return to Barcelona, the prodigal son’s return to London signaled an upturn in fortune for the Spaniard. Nominated for the August Premier League Player of the Month, becoming the first player in the Premier League to record assists in six successive games and helping Chelsea to secure their first league title in four years, Fabregas appeared to have ended his dogged pursuit for satisfaction.
But Fabregas, who struggled through the later stages of Chelsea’s title winning campaign, has once again reached winter in a state of discontent. With Chelsea sitting a solitary point above the relegation zone, Fabregas was asked if he was having sleepless nights concerning the plight of Chelsea. “Yes,” replied Fabregas, ”football is my life. When football does not go well, my life is not happy.”
Fabregas has been unable to duplicate last year's form. Photo: @SkySportsNewsHQ | Twitter
Cesc Fabregas: The Decline
According to Whoscored.com, Fabregas' struggles this season have seen his pass success rate drop from 85.2% to 82.8%. He made 2.8 key passes per game last campaign as compared to just 1.6 this season. Ultimately, he’s getting forward with a lot less frequency this year, attempting less crosses, shots and dribbles.
While this drop in performance is also tied to the terrible form of teammates, most notably Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa, Fabregas hasn’t helped his team by misplacing 164 passes this season, the second most in the Premier League.
For a player reared in the famed Academy of La Masia, where ball retention is everything, that kind of carelessness with the ball is simply astounding. His performances in losses to Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton, West Ham and Bournemouth have drawn the ire of Jose Mourinho.
Accordingly, the manager has left Fabregas on the bench for successive matches, preferring a partnership of Matic and Ramires in central midfield and with Oscar in the attacking midfield role.
After the defeat against Leicester, then-Chelsea-manager Jose Mourinho Mourinho remarked that certain players must begin to think, “I am not the superstar, I am not the player of the season, I am not the world champion, I am not the Premier League champion.” For Fabregas, this is a rebuke intended to galvanize an under-performing player. Unfortunately for Chelsea, Fabregas is not known for playing his best soccer in the second half of the season.
Photo: @9ja_trueblues | Twitter
There’s never any passion without struggle and Fabregas is undoubtedly committed to the game and to his club. However, he’s 28 now and cannot turn back the clock anymore than Chelsea can win this season's Premier League title. All of his choices have lead him to this very moment, and you have to wonder what the future holds for one of the game’s most decorated players.
