There is always a nervousness and edginess in the squad whenever a new manager comes to a club. The players do not know whether they would retain, improve, or drop-down when it comes to their position in the squad. There are numerous instances of first-team regulars being dropped by a new manager and Cesc Fabregas is not a new story in this regard. Chelsea fans will also fondly remember the situation faced by Juan Mata when José Mourinho came to the club for a second spell in 2013.
Both are players who have a lot of in common; they are of the same Spanish nationality and they were primarily dropped in favour of Oscar. Chelsea fans all know the way in which Mata lost the fight against Mourinho even though he had all the support from the stands. Could Fabregas be heading for a similar story? Should Oscar be dropped in favour of Fabregas?
Oscar is one of those bright spots in a team when nothing seems to be going right. The Brazilian cannot be criticised of the work rate that he puts into a game. This alone would be enough to spice up the supporters and turn up the volume, which would, in turn, help the team. One of the most attractive qualities from a manager’s point of view seems to be the pressing Oscar does on the pitch. Mourinho was a huge fan of this aspect and Antonio Conte’s use of the player suggests that little has changed with the Italian.
Fabregas, though, is a player who just goes about his business quietly, but can always come up with a moment of genius that turns the game around. Some of the best possible examples came in the 2014-15 campaign when his long ball found Diego Costa with precision to change the game. Fabregas showed that he had lost none of his potent skills with a similar well-laid pass to Costa in the win over Watford a few weeks ago. One of Fabregas’ biggest disadvantages is pace; even though he hides it will, it limits his impact in an attacking or defensive midfield position.
Conte seems to have set up this Chelsea team with a focus on pace. John Terry was the slowest of the starting line-up that won comfortably against Burnley before the international break. It says a lot about Conte’s vision for Chelsea. Sadly, Fabregas does not seem to feature and may never do so.