Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas sways smoothly between sublime and ridiculous

Cesc Fabregas is capable of both the sublime and the ridiculous. His inconsistency has exposed Chelsea more than his magic has saved them.

Jose Mourinho raised eyebrows when he signed Cesc Fabregas in the summer of 2014. Since then he has never looked quite right in a Chelsea shirt. Any player that wrestles Frank Lampard in a cup final will not feel like a natural fit at the club.

Despite the initial awkwardness, there was a certain logic to the signing. Chelsea repeatedly dropped points against weaker opponents during 2013/14 season. The most emblematic result of the season was a 0-0 with West Ham in January. Chelsea enjoyed total dominance (39 shots to West Ham’s one), but Chelsea were “out-tactic-ed” by Sam Allardyce’s safety-first approach.

Cesc Fabregas was brought in to break stubborn defenses. He did exactly that in his first season, providing a staggering 18 assists in the league as Chelsea romped to the title. Fabregas was a joy to watch, and supporters sang of his magic. The assist for Andre Schurrle’s goal against Burnely is an all-time classic.

Must Read: Chelsea lag Arsenal, United in training young players for top competitions

Then came the disastrous 2015/16 campaign. Fabregas’ output dropped while he saw less time on the pitch. Reports circulated that he was actively working to undermine Mourinho. As a result, he stood accused of being one of the “three rats” after Mourinho’s dismissal.

Antonio Conte’s arrival in 2016 looked to spell the end of Fabregas’ time at Chelsea. It was difficult to see how he would fit in Conte’s system, and rumors continually linked him with a loan move to Italy. However, the midfielder waited patiently for his chance and was crucial late in the season.

A series of injuries and lack of squad depth at the start of the 2017/18 campaign have ensured the Spaniard is ever-present in the Blues’ midfield. As a result, he has already seen more minutes than many expected.

And it has not been great. Chelsea has struggled recently to control games, ceding the midfield to Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Roma and Watford.

The Spaniard’s Chelsea career is a pendulum swinging back and forth between the sublime and the ridiculous. His performance against Crystal Palace last week highlighted the magic and horror he is capable of.

Fabregas was by no means the only player who had a poor first half against the Eagles, but his inability to keep possession, pass, dribble, pick up loose balls and tackle was astonishing. It was reminiscent of his hilariously inept appearance against Tottenham in 2015. Despite all this, he also passed the ball on to Tiemoue Bakayoko’s head from a corner for the first goal of the match.

Fabregas took control of the first few minutes in the second half. He fired in long-range shots and pinged a series of through-balls behind the Palace backline. Unfortunately, his teammates’ inability to stay onside foiled most of his good work. It was a glorious 20 minute spell. He then revealed the underside of his game, repeatedly missing tackles and carelessly surrendering the ball in dangerous positions.

The most emblematic moment of the match came at the very end. Deep in stoppage time, Crystal Palace cleared their lines only as far as Luka Milivojevic at the top of his own penalty box. He received the ball with his back to goal, and attempted to blindly turn. Fabregas came steaming in from deep, anticipating a chance to deliver a smashing legal tackle on Palace’s enforcer. Instead, Milivojevic simply sidestepped him as a matador would effortlessly dodge a furious, doomed bull in the arena.

This was Fabregas’ Chelsea career in 90 minutes: moments of complete inadequacy punctuated by incomparable transcendence. Bakayoko is a mere mortal; he cannot lock down the midfield on his own and provide a platform for Fabregas. Since N’Golo Kante is not constrained by the dimensions of time and space, he can cover the ineptitude. Playing Chelsea’s no. 4 in the midfield without Kante is an act of self-harm.

Next: Michy Batshuayi is a super sub whilst being an average starter

Unless he is capable of more consistency, it is time for Fabregas to take his undoubted brilliance somewhere else. If he was able to feud with Frank Lampard and still have the Stamford Bridge faithful sing for him, perhaps the man who threw pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson should head to Old Trafford next.