By Daily Sports on March 31, 2020

Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has been speaking recently about his former club Arsenal and how he left the team in unpalatable circumstances.

The Spaniard spoke about why and how he left Arsenal and admitted to his unprofessional conduct in forcing a move out.

I just came across an article well on the internet in response to what Fabregas has been saying and I would love to drop it here because it captures my thoughts on Fabregas largely.

“For me, Fabregas is no hero. In fact, he's not much better than RvP or Nasri

Cesc Fabregas has been trying to get into Arsenal fans' good books lately and I find it pitiful, for lack of a better word.

He forced his way out in 2011, let down the man he owes his career to (Arsene Wenger, in case you were wondering) and left the club on its knees.

Club captain leaving the club he supposedly loves, in his prime. Refusing to train. His Barcelona DNA was talking, isn’t it? Let poor Cesc go, he’s suffering.

I was amazed to hear some fans at the Emirates clap him when he returned in a Chelsea shirt. We had the right of first refusal? I wouldn’t take him back on a free.

Wenger did many mistakes in 20+ years at Arsenal (you are bound to when you stay that long) but if he told Cesc to do one then I'm with the Frenchman all the way.

His refusal to talk Cesc and stoic silence on the matter afterwards tell me much more than Fabregas can say in three interviews.

He’s not a legend. Thierry Henry is a legend because he spent his best years at Arsenal, became club's top goalscorer and has a golden Premier League trophy. Cesc is a spoilt brat very close to what Samir Nasri was.

Both quickly found out they were only adored and needed at Arsenal and I'm sure both regret leaving. Both can sod off for all I know. I harbour no sympathy for how their careers panned out after what they did to Arsenal.”

I would like to add that former Arsenal defender Bakary Sagna’s response to Fabregas’ claim that only Van Persie and Nasri were on the same level as he was, was a classy one.

Sagna said: “From him I was surprised because he was supposed to be one of the leaders of the team, he was one of the great prospects and as a leader and a true player, you don’t speak like that about your club.

“Arsenal made him, so saying that some players were not at his level was a bit harsh because I’m not sure out of all the seasons he was playing at the club, he was always an exemplary player.

“At that time the press was talking about him not running enough or tracking back. So other players could have said ‘you should be running more or doing more’.

“If you look at Liverpool today, all of them are running. This is a team. And maybe, because we didn’t have the right spirit at that time we didn’t make this little extra push, or make that little extra run to track players, maybe this is the reason we didn’t win [trophies].”

Honestly, if one remembers how Cesc played at Arsenal, as good as he was, it’s hard to disagree with Sagna here.

Football is very complex tactically. Sometimes the most technically gifted players could be the biggest liabilities in some specific games that matter and which could decide whether a team can win a trophy or not. This is not to say Fabregas wasn’t doing a good job at Arsenal, but he should be intelligent enough to know the complexities of a game and should be classy enough to not speak about other players shortcomings when he was not perfect.

Fabregas was lucky to have played under Wenger, who would not give a player the hairdryer treatment and the Frenchman gave him the freedom to make mistakes. That coaching method, like others, has its merits and its flaws. Its merit is that players like Fabregas could get away with some tactical and psychological shortcomings during matches, he could get away with not running sometimes, etc. Their confidence could consequently grow.

But when he went to Barcelona, Cesc saw players who were at “his level” and more. He was at a place where the coach demanded strict compliance with some specific tactical rules. We then saw he was not so special and certainly no magician. He failed there.

Yes, he won the Premier League with Chelsea, but the fact that he still talks about Arsenal, dreams about the club everyday, is another proof that there’s more to football and to life than picking up trophies decorated baubles.

Fabregas is not a legend of Arsenal and not a legend of any club.

Source Daily Sports

Posted March 31, 2020

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