Michy Batshuayi should look to Cesc Fabregas’ example at Chelsea
By George Perry
MIchy Batshuayi is in line for his first Premier League start against Bournemouth. Cesc Fabregas has set the standard for player performance after a long spell on the bench.
Diego Costa’s suspension for Chelsea’s Boxing Day fixture is the perfect Christmas gift for Michy Batshuayi. Between Costa’s top form and his well-disciplined behaviour, Batshuayi could have lost the hopeful spirit of the holidays. Once Jon Moss took the yellow card out of his pocket at Crystal Palace, though, Batshuayi knew it was time to put his boots on.
Michy Batshuayi would have had a difficult time getting into Chelsea’s line-up even if Diego Costa were having a mediocre season. As Nemanja Matic acknowledged, Costa is not making things easier on the young Belgian.
"When you have Diego in the team it is very hard to get a chance because he is playing so well and scoring goals… It is good for Michy and a good experience for him to see Diego’s movement. He will have learned from watching and playing with Diego. – Evening Standard"
As Batshuayi prepares for his first Premier League start, he should look to the man who will likely be feeding him perfect passes against Bournemouth: Cesc Fabregas.
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Fabregas was on the bench for the entirety of Chelsea’s first eight games of the winning streak. With each passing game the transfer rumours linking him to either of the Milan teams seemed increasingly plausible. When asked, Conte spoke of Fabregas’s importance to the team. But when the opportunity arose Conte favored others over Fabregas to come off the bench.
In his return against Manchester City, Fabregas showed that he trained consistently, intelligently and determinedly while out of the lineup. He left little doubt that he had improved his fitness and maintained his match sharpness despite not playing anything more than a U23 game.
Fabregas returned to Premier League play seamlessly. He picked out passes across the field as though he had never missed a minute in the preceding weeks. He eventually found Diego Costa for Chelsea’s opening goal. Eleven days later, he scored his first Premier League goal of the season against Sunderland.
Through his entire absence, Fabregas never complained about his diminished role on the team. He did not encourage any transfer rumours. He did not tweet self-pityingly nor whine in interviews that he felt slighted. He was a true professional, and let his football do the talking on his first available opportunity.
Michy Batshuayi has maintained his exuberance throughout his sparse playing time. His Twitter is as SpongeBob-worthy as ever, and he is unreservedly happy about Chelsea’s winning ways. His attitude appears to be in the right place. Now he needs to prove that he is more than just a young man with talent and charisma.
Batshuayi cannot be held to Diego Costa’s level of performance on the pitch. But against Bournemouth, we will see whether he spent the last two months training at a Costa- or Fabregas-level of intensity. He needs plenty of time to adapt to the Premier League, but he will likely not get it. Instead, he needs to make the most out of the few chances he has.
Next: Antonio Conte is re-tailoring Chelsea from a 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2
Cesc Fabregas showed the way substitutes and back-benchers – whether young and untested or a World Cup winner – must earn their way into the squad. Hopefully Michy Batshuayi had been paying attention, and will demonstrate what he learned on Boxing Day.