Cesc Fabregas’ red card may prove costly to his season

The most talked about story from last night’s Chelsea vs. Liverpool “friendly” was Cesc Fabregas’ red card. The midfielder’s indiscipline may cause him to miss more than the next International Champions Cup match against Real Madrid.

Antonio Conte does not seem like a man who enjoys apologizing. Cesc Fabregas will now find out how Conte reacts to being forced into that position.

Cesc Fabregas became the first Chelsea player to see red under Antonio Conte. Not that there is ever a good time to be ejected, nor to anger a man who does not know a setting lower than 11, but Fabregas’ blunder was particularly ill-timed.

Like most Chelsea incumbents, Fabregas has to prove that the 2015/16 season was an aberration and that he is ready to return to form. Eden Hazard took care of this at Euro 2016. Cesc Fabregas did not.

All Chelsea players need to prove that they are progressing along the learning curve for Antonio Conte’s style of play, tactics and mentality. Conte demands passion and discipline in equal amounts. Yellow cards can be a measure of a player’s passion, determination and aggressiveness. Straight red cards indicate indiscipline.

Fabregas is one of Chelsea’s veterans and is a potential replacement for the captaincy post-John Terry. Beyond the red card itself, Fabregas did not show the necessary accountability for a leader. Fabregas apologized to Ragnar Klavan on the pitch and in the locker room after the match, but then lapsed into an unbecoming “blame the official, woe is me” in front of the media.

"I do think the ref for them and for us was giving cards all over the place that’s why. Sometimes when you do that as a ref you lose a little feeling of what is happening, because if you give one that is 50-50 or 40-60 then you have to give the next one again and it became a little bit of a farce.So, he didn’t have the game under control but that’s what happens. – Daily Mail"

Antonio Conte is still fiddling with his formations and tactics. Given his creativity and the variety of formations he has employed over the years, no role other than a Chiellini-esque center-back is essential. If Conte does not have a certain type of player, he will develop a system that thrives without that type of player.

If Conte does not have “a Fabregas,” he does not need a Fabregas. And the actual Fabregas just gave Conte the opportunity to see how well the team can do without him.

Fabregas also opened the door for his intra-squad rivals to audition for his place on the pitch. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been playing awkwardly in a forward role. Antonio Conte thinks that Loftus-Cheek’s future is among the front line, although his performances so far cast doubt on that that expectation.

Fabregas’ absence creates a chance for Conte to return Loftus-Cheek to a midfield position. Once back in the part of the pitch where he dominated the youth leagues, Loftus-Cheek may show why he belongs in the midfield and in the starting XI.

Nemanja Matic is another player who has to overcome last season’s campaign. Antonio Conte gave him a confidence boost by announcing that Matic is not for sale, so now it is up to Matic to return the favor.

N’Golo Kante is set to join Chelsea on the US tour. His spot in the lineup is secure (£32 million will do that), but how he is used in the midfield is still up in the air. Kante gives Conte a slew of new possibilities for the midfield. Factor in the two-way play of Willian and Oscar, including the latter’s passing ability, and Fabregas quickly looks redundant, if not forgettable.

Related Story: Who the hell are you? Volume 3: N'Golo Kante

Missing games due to injury or suspension can have a “tipping point” effect. A veteran can find himself on the bench for an extended spell after a bout of fortune opened the door for a youngster to displace them. Thibaut Courtois consigned Petr Cech to the bench, and then to Arsenal. Kurt Zouma seemed to spell the end of Gary Cahill until Zouma’s injury.

Cesc Fabregas was the set-up man for most of Chelsea’s offence en route to the 2014/15 Premier League title. When he’s on, he’s on. Diego Costa will attest to that. But the opposite is true, too, and he is far from indispensable.

Next: Chelsea Tactics and Transfers: Pre-season, Chelsea hate and the 3-3-4

A sloppy red card can be an unforced error for a player’s entire season, just as much as it is in a single game. Cesc Fabregas gave his manager and teammates the chance to play 90 minutes of Fabregas-free football. He better hope they don’t like what they will see.