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Fabregas facing up to crucial decision July 24, 2013 By Duncan McMath "United are wasting their time.It took a long time for Cesc to get his dream move back home and he won't giveit up. "This is home, it is where hisfamily is, and he is playing with his closest friends. He has told us that heis happy." That's what Gerard Pique told the Sun this week. And it makes perfectsense. You'll remember the annual tedious, drawn-out transfer sagas thatfinally ended on August 15, 2011. The controversy of the Barca shirt at Spain'sWorld Cup celebrations… the will he, won't he? Of course he won't and howcouldn't he? Well, he did and if it was anunsettling year for Arsenal fans, just imagine what Cesc Fabregas was goingthrough. Now, having finally returned home tohis family, Catalonia and Barca after leaving them all as a 16-year-old, wouldhe really pack his bags again just two years on? If El Mundo Deportivo is to be believed, theanswer is yes. Because, despite what his pal Pique said, it hasn't been aparticularly happy return home for Fabregas the footballer. Social life aside,the midfielder will be anxious to enjoy his football next season as, at 26, heis now 'middle aged' in footballing terms. He's already had 10 years at thetop, and it's very unlikely he'll have 10 more. With another Fabregas transfer sagarumbling on, El Mundo Deportivo claims that the former Arsenal player"has considered a move back to England". And with the prospect of aseason on the Barca bench and United keen for him to fill Scholes' boots fordouble his current wages, why wouldn't he? Because at the Camp Nou, Cesc has aproblem - he won't get in the starting XI next season, not regularly anyway.And after his performances last term, the fans wouldn't be that bothered to seehim go. Thiago Alcantara left Barca becausehe didn't want to play second fiddle to Xavi and Iniesta in midfield, leavingthe fiddle for Fabregas to pluck away on whilst he sat on the bench. Neymar's arrival is doubly damagingfor the former Arsenal midfielder: firstly it means Iniesta will drop fromattack into midfield more regularly, alongside Xavi and Busquets, leavingMessi, Neymar and a winger (Pedro, Alexis, Tello or Cuenca) to lead the line.And secondly, when Messi is rested or unavailable, the Brazilian forward willbe second in line for the 'false nine' role, where Fabregas was often employedunder both Guardiola and Vilanova. If he stays at Barcelona, the26-year-old will probably be left to scrounge for playing time when others areinjured or rested. And at 33, Xavi has got at least a season or two left inhim, so Fabregas will have to be patient before he takes up that mantle. After a great start on his return in2011 - including four goals in his first four league games - the fans began tolose patience in their prodigal son last season and Cesc was often on thereceiving end of frustrated tuts and whistles from the Camp Nou faithful. But the stats, at first glance, aresurprising. Last season, between filling in for Messi in attack and getting thenod in the middle, Fabregas played in 48 games in all competitions for Barca, including30 league starts. And he scored 14 goals. Not bad for a disappointing year. But when you look more closely, thecracks start to appear. Tito Vilanova saw Fabregas not ashis solutions man, but the one who made way when something more was needed. Inthe big games, or when Barca had their backs to the wall, Fabregas was ofteneither dragged off on the hour mark - generally the time managers will maketheir first change when things aren't going to plan - or he was left on thebench. Maybe the cause or the effect of his plunge in confidence. The midfielder played a total ofjust eight minutes over two legs in the Supercopa against Real Madrid at thestart of the season: he made a brief appearance in the first leg and was anunused substitute at the Santiago Bernabeu. On week two of La Liga, with Barcalosing 1-0 away at Osasuna, Fabregas was replaced on 62 minutes before Messi'sbrace won the game. The following week in a tight 1-0win against Valencia, he was again brought off on the hour mark with Barcahanging on without him for all three points. In El Clasico at the Camp Nouin early October, the midfielder was replaced after 61 minutes once more, withthe game finishing 2-2. Down to 10 men and leading 4-3 in acrazy game away at Depor two weeks later, Tito sacrificed Fabregas after anhour, bringing on Xavi to steady the ship for the final 30 minutes. He played a total of just 20 minutesin two physical and tense Champions League games against Celtic. And in Barca'sfirst league defeat of the season against Real Sociedad in January, Fabregaswas replaced again on 58 minutes. A pattern was emerging and it wouldcontinue in other crucial games, including defeats against Milan in theChampions League and Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey - at the Camp Nou. Bothtimes Fabregas was the man Tito substituted with half an hour remaining, whenthe former Barca manager was desperate for something to change. In the Champions Leaguequarter-finals the Catalans were heading out after Javier Pastore's opener forPSG, before Pedro equalised in the 71st minute - 10 minutes after Fabregas hadbeen hauled off. When the going got tough, CescFabregas's number was up. Literally. He was an unused substitute in twomassive Champions League clashes: the all-important second leg against Milan,when Barca turned the tie on its head hammering the Italians 4-0, and thehumbling at the hands of Bayern Munich in the first semi-final. There are exceptions. Fabregasplayed in some big games and scored a few important goals - a brace at Sevillawith Barca 2-0 behind and the opener at the Bernabéu in the first leg of theCopa del Rey semi-final. Also, in a side with so much quality, playing so manyfixtures, rotation is inevitable. But Fabregas is not the midfield general hewas at Arsenal and could be at United. Whereas he was replaced 11 timesafter an hour last term, Arsene Wenger substituted his captain just once beforethe 65 minute mark in his entire final season with the Gunners - excludinginjuries - when Arsenal were leading Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 in a Champions Leaguegroup game and Fabregas had just netted a penalty. And it's inconceivable thatWenger would have left the Spaniard on the bench for a must-win game. At Arsenal he was the solution whena change was needed, at Barca he's the change when a solution is needed. And nextseason, with the arrival of Neymar, Fabregas will play an even moreinsignificant role than he has already, which just isn't right for a player ofhis ability and skill. If the decision to return to Barcain 2011 was made with his heart, maybe this time Fabregas needs to put hiscareer first.
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发表于 24-7-2013 05:24 PM
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