The Importance of Being Cesc Fabregas
|If the first two Premier League games of the season have taught Arsenal anything it’s that Cesc Fabregas has to be kept in bubble wrap. With Tomas Rosicky’s never-ending injury saga, Fabregas is the only pure creative force left in Arsenal’s midfield.
The West Brom match kicked off in style, it seemed that Fabregas wasn’t to be that sorely missed. Nasri’s goal was a quintessential pass-it-into-the-net Arsenal goal, with Denilson neatly slotting into Fabregas’ position. Then, the gas ran out, and Arsenal were stuck passing it between themselves in the middle of the park with West Brom merely spectators to a word-class kick about. As Jonathan Pearce correctly stated “it’s in these periods that Arsenal are lacking the likes of Rosicky and Fabregas, the match-breakers.”
The absence of Fabregas, and to a lesser extent Rosicky, was painstakingly evident in the cataclysmic performance at Craven Cottage. Denilson was dire, and all the more bewildering is the fact that he was the only player in the Arsenal outfield not called up for international duty. The 20 year old’s displays have been mercurial to say the least, polished performances in preseason silenced many of the Brazilian’s critics but the backlash has already arrived.
My main qualm with Denilson is his inconsistency. Arsenal’s squad depth is often cited a major hindrance to the team’s quest for silverware, but I don’t think it’s the squad’s depth that’s the problem, more so the hit-or-miss nature of the back-up players. Denilson, Bendtner, Senderos and Eboue, they are all replacements that lack the consistency that Arsenal needs.
Fabregas in an infectious player, his ideas and creativity rub-off on the entire team, each player feels he needs to raise his game in order for Fabregas to function fully and they do. Cesc is the team’s catalyst; the conductor of the fluent passing moves that Arsenal have become renowned for and without him the team can become off-key and flat. By no means am I saying that Arsenal are a one-man team, it is simply that Fabregas inspires confidence, when he appears on that team-sheet morale rises and Arsenal’s stock increases.
The other attribute that Fabregas brings to the table (that is seemingly non-existent amongst other Arsenal players) is that of mental strength and resilience. Arsenal’s triumph in the San Siro epitomises everything that Fabregas offers mentally. With Arsenal completely dominating possession and effectively taking AC Milan to the cleaners, the game still looked destined for extra time. It was up to Fabregas to keep on mounting the constant attacks and galvanise the team to success. Had he been absent that night, then who knows what would have happened.
This brings me on to my next point. The mystifying decision to allow William Gallas to retain the captaincy. Apologies and claims of how last seasons debacles have changed him as a person are all great but the fact remains that he is mentally explosive and appears to lack any command over the team. Captains are supposed to lead by example, and Arsenal fans should be grateful that the team have more sense than to follow his lead when it comes to defending corners. Gallas’ body language screams nonchalance and at times arrogance. It’s fair to say that William Gallas has shown as much leadership as Thabo Mbeki has on Zimbabwe.
However, the Arsenal captaincy is an incredibly fragile predicament. Bomb disarming units would have to be called in to defuse the thermonuclear device that would go off in Gallas’ brain if the news broke that the captain’s armband was his no more. The aftermath of such an incident could even trigger an affair similar to the own-goal threat he issued when at Chelsea.
The obvious choice for captain, in my humble opinion, is Senor Fabregas. Cesc has an abundance of match-winning impetus that can ignite the flames in Arsenal’s engine room, a skill that Gallas is a long way off mastering. There is no doubt in my mind that had Fabregas been in Arsenal’s line-up on Saturday then the result would have been different. Despite being just 21, the only major football final that he is yet to appear in is the World Cup final, in terms of experience you can’t ask for much more.
It may be cause for concern that there is only one player within Arsenal’s squad capable of shifting the team into top gear. Nonetheless, with Gokhan Inler’s arrival hopefully on the horizon, the squad will acquire another motivational talisman. The Swiss is celebrated for his hard-man attitude and phenomenal work-rate, if Inler is brought in it will add extra gusto and vigour to a side that craves it.
If William Gallas knew what was best for the club he would come out with his hands up and pass the captain’s armband to Fabregas. The sooner Gallas accepts that he can’t lead and that Fabregas can, the better. The latter’s loyalty is unquestionable and he has expressed a desire to captain Arsenal, (“I would love it,” he told The Observer) and was the first to move to quash reports linking him with a move to Spain.
Fabregas is the Arsenal captain-elect, it may be that Gallas is ten years his senior but it’s the Frenchman who has the growing up to do.
If we don't get Inler we're going to need one of: Diaby, Denilson, Bischoff or Song to step up to the plate. Now that's why we need a DM because i can't see really any of them being good enough to win us any silverware this season.. I can see Song stepping up, but i wont put my house on it. Can't we sign a petition to get Wenger to sign him?
I think Nasri is pretty creative and can be played in the middle, as he said when he was first signed.
ade is poo, song is poo, clichy is amazing going forward but poor difensivly, van the man just aint being the man, theo looks like a little lost skool boy, gallas is a rubish leader, and not the best defender, denilson is still learning, nasri is good but still apliying hes trade, diaby is good but always injured so thats not good, rosicky allways injured. bentner is absolutly rubbish, ramseys just a little boy, vela is good but far far far to young, the other guy we signed i dont even no him never herd of him, but i think hes injured soo yea nice one wenger, wer really down shit street now!! and i dont think theres any cumming bak!! oo plus cesc next season he b outa here dont u worry.
I think song's going to be a big player for us this season trust me. Song and Cesc CM will be lethal in years to come
that DM position i think wenger has to be very care full at picking Fabragas's partner in midfield alot of people want to see Alonso but in my opinion i don't
think it would work because the two are the same type of players and plus
Alonso is not the greatest defensively. Hey Chris whats this I'm hearing
that apparently wenger has open the door for a move for the highly rated Gervinho
Any news
No.
We shouldn't overload Fabergas with the Captaincy this season.
Regardless of how mature he is, like Henry, he will be so conscious of his Captaincy that it will certainly affect his game.
This season is teh season where Fabregas will complete hsi devleopment as a Midfield general – defending, attacking and creating all.
A domiannt figure, he will keep on improving to dominate the midfield.
A Synergy that will bring the ebst out of his partner – be it Denilson, Diaby, Ramsey or Nasri.
We condemned Denilson right now as not ready, forgetting tthe fact that he has yet to play with a “matured” midfielder like Fabregas.
Judge Denilson after he had a run of game partnering Fabregas.
Judge Denilson when Rosicky and Fabregas are playign with him where he has more option to vary his passes, his cross field passes where Rosicky and Fabregas are available.
Like Wenger, I will judge Denilson after he has a run fo at elast 9 consecutive games partnering Fabregas, and the return of Rosicky in October is certainly a tremendous boost.
Walcott?
A waste of space on teh flank.
He certainly starting to show glimpse of what he is capable of off when playing throught the centre at tail-end of last season.
Time for a passionless Adebayor to drop to the bench with van Persie-Walcott as centre pairing.
After all, against twente, we can;t do worst than FUlham performance.
Or is it?
But the return fo Fabregas with his driving and fierce winning mentality si all th difference it wll be make in winning oe losing.
Fabregas is the FULCRUM of the Team; and if rest fo team-mates do nt start to improve, we will revert to another one-man team – like Henry.
And every team will know arsenal soft underbelly:
“Stop Fabregas, you will stop Arsenal from playing”.
And Cesc will leave next season when we end this season trophyless again. And i cant blame him
Nice positive outlook on our players lol. But you're right.
Well considering he just pledged his future to us I doubt it..
Merlion don't underestimate fc twente first start they are a better side than Falham
and to be honest to this day i still wonder how we won that first leg . but we will be OK Wednesday night with a 2 0 lead
Merlion96, passionless Adebayor? Did you even see the game against Fulham? Him and Eboue ran for the ball constantly while Van Persie did nothing and looked like he couldn't be bothered at all.
As for Walcott alongside Van Persie, you're joking right? Walcott gets bullied on the wing so what makes you think he'll be stronger in the middle? He even said himself he feels more comfortable playing on the wing now. If anyone is dropped, it should be Van Persie based on his showing against FUlham and Vela should be played alongside Ade. However Van Persie alongside Adebayor should be kept for the Twente game as it gives them a chance to get used to the team and each other before the Newcastle game.
Your comments about Denilson were well thought out but what followed was just garbage.
Agreed
Ade and Song aren't poo but apart from that you're more or less right. Vela isn't far far far too young, he's 19 and has played a full season in La Liga.
maybe it is time for Walcot to at least get his chance up top i don't care what anybody says Ive always seen him as a striker and wenger has said on several occasions his natural position is a striker. do u remember when henry first game to Arsennal he started as a winger then he move up top that's why henry
use to always cut in side from the left of midfield, that was one of henrys greatest freats in his Arsenal days. trust me wenger is trying to do the same thing
with Walcot wenger sees a bit of henry in Theo he hasn't got that number 14 shirt for know reason. ive said this a hundred times Walcot just needs a big kick up his backside. He really needs to toughen up or mabe the pressure is getting to him a little
bit. but yes i would give him a chance up top wednesday night with Van persie that
could be interesting
I remeber last season away at Aston Villa we didn't have Fabregas but still played good football with Diarra, Flamini and Hleb. Now they are all gone we only have Fab and Rosicky as our main midfielders and the other two players have to adapt quickly like Nasri to play the arsenal way.
If Cesc is gone when we have an away game I think that Nasri should play behinfd the main stiker. Otherwise we dont have a madition in the middle wich we really need.
james theo wanted the number 8 shirt,he wasnt offered any shirt he went askin ,damn cheeky takin the 14 after finding out the 8 was gone ,theo stepped into a shirt that he cant fit even if he went to the shop an got a smaller size
imagine how good cesc would be given the right partner to compliment him ,wenger has not once bought a partner for cesc,ready made,the right guy for the job ,he wants to but everyone knows the board are sitting on the purse!
i think kolo has turned into a shyt right back and gallas always was a shyt left back , we just sold our only real centre half in senderos ,oh yeah djourou is the other ,did anyone see vidic against portsmouth ? if gallas took that knock on his head he would have flown out for surgery, everytime he kicks the ball he limps ,i dunno wat has happened!
Anyone have a feeling that Arsenal are so strapped for cash that we had to remove someone from the wage bill(senderos) before we signed another. It just makes me wonder why we would loan him out, especially to Milan, its like we are doing them a favour. What are Arsenal gaining out of it apart from one less wage to pay
Unless there is a plyer coming from Milan in exchange, i dont see how Arsenal benefit
To be honest i'm sick and tired of Wenger, last season the PL should and would have been ours if it wasn't for Wengers stubbornness, this man is taking the club and all the fans for a ride, I know a lot of fans will say Wenger is untouchable but c'mon people think about post 2004 – this guy has said Arsenal are in transition but it's a joke. On a personal level I have supported this club all my life but I've got to the point where I have given up, no longer will I pay a penny towards my membership, no longer will I give a penny towards this club until Wenger leaves. As much as it pains me to say this I will no longer support this club, I'm sick and tired of Wenger and the mediocre player he has in the starting line up such as Theo, Eboue, Almunia, Denilson and a captain such as GALLAS WTF! I've said my piece and if anyone else wants to keep discussing the issue with me then fair enough, but just remember what I said – also for those who think I'm a plastic fan get a life, I've been supporting this club all my life through the good times and the bad but this time its that w*nkers fault.
Wenger, bring in a new midfielder now, prepare to be sacked. Wasteman. I'm not even talking about a DM (we need a creative natural left-footed winger). All Wenger goes on about is “bla bla you have to remember that we have injuries”… Well that doesnt EVER seem to change, so the smart idea would be to BUY COVER and stop trying to prove a point to every. Honestly, i dont know why Wenger does the opposite of what everyone tells him, its getting VERY annoying and if we dont win any silverware this season or get a top 3 finish i will be hoping that the board see enough sense to replace this tight b*stard. And i really dont give a *** about your little statements “wenger knows” and… “in wenger we trust” *** everyone can see the errors and what needs to be done, yet consistently HE DOESN’T DO IT. We have fallen short far too many times for my liking. I support ARSENAL FC and not WENGER FC, just because he is the manager doesnt mean everyone who supports the club has to support him, nobody is bigger than the club. I hope you all remember that. PS. Eboue wouldn't have started on the Fulham team. Not sure he'll start in Totenham or Hull's team. – why on earth is he an Arsenal starter?
Support Arsenal thru good and bad, dosnt sound like you are doing that now
u gatto be kidding me right?? I still do support them and always will but how much more frustration ca one take? i dont want Wenger to go but as long as he keeps on with this current policy/strategy – then he has to go.
Lets be honest with ourselves – even with all 24 players fit, we just arent good enough. When was the last time we played manure or chelski and u went to the game knowing for a fact that we're going to beat them bad – or at least beat them. we r okay if we draw them because deep down we know they're better than us.
And guys, its not about finances. Our finances were published and audited by some of the big four accounting firms. It is what it is – very good. third richest club in the world. Wenger just refuses to use it. He wants to be vindicated by winning with kids but quite frankly i'm not ready to wait for 10+ yrs till it happens.
This is not a knee-jerk reaction to the Fulham game as some of u may be thinking. It was more or less a confirmation of what most of us have been saying for the last couple of years. How do u expect to win the EPL and CL with Eboue, Alumnia, Denilson??? Come on.
Chelski has Essien, we have Eboue. Manure has Ronaldo, we have Eboue. they have Petr Cech and Van der Sar we have Almunia. They have Terry/Carvalho, Ferdinand/Vidic, we have Gallas/Toure. LOL.. this is just ludacris.
guys, this is just constructive criticism of the club we love. some of u take it too personal when things are said about Wenger. We need to question him. He doesn't know it all. I dont trust him again. I know he's a smart guy so y can't he see that we're just not good enough to win it??
IF there's a magically player in the squad tat he knows and we dont – then y not start him for all to see? If not, then the best is what he put out there. And if thats the best we can get on a givewn day then we're just not god enough. Forget the poor performance against Fulham. WE ARE NOT GOD ENOUGH!!!!!
pay-per-view,has it not occured that wenger cant make signings because he aint got no £££??? do you really think wenger wants to win nothing ?? dont you think he knows what everyone is telling him ?wenger is too loyal ,i hope he dont wake up in ten years and say i wish i went to madrid when i had the chance! hillwood free up the funds!
a man of wengers stature shouldnt be missing out on signings he needs just because a club over value a player by a million or two ,hillwood should be telling wenger if thats the man just get him and stop f**king about worrying ,why do you think fergie wins titles ? he gets the players he needs
,wenger aint gonna name names and have us dreaming because it would be a cruel lie and a heartbreaker to know that either arsenal has money and the chairman wont spend or arsenal has no money and cant buy anyone worth buying without selling ,if things get really shyt we might have to flog fab to buy a dm ,stop this wenger out bollox!
which manager will take the arsenal job after wenger knowing that the board will sell his players and wont give him big club funding £50 mill a season to spend ? when the club tells him to put on a brave face an take the stick to keep the fans off their backs ,wenger is possibly too good for arsenal,when he goes them tight toff f**kers will find the cheapest replacement!
there is a lot more to the edelman departure than meets the eye,in the city when they come out and say so & so are leaving their post it means they been kicked the f**k out ,something is goin on people! i dont want a russian incharge but trust me these toffs arent doin a great job!
dein used to discuss the team with wenger as a friend and as a supporter ,he was practically one of us with a huge cheque book ,the men incharge now are business men ,they dont like taking a risk on winning the league ,if they reduced the number of champions league spots allocated to prem teams do we think the cheque book would fly open then ? or would they just watch us sink ? that would be interesting! and if theo actually has a pulse in his next start wenger wont look half as bad ,puttin faith in theo is questionable!
Sounds like if we splash the cash we'll win it all then? Easy solution to an obvious problem. Spend like we did on Reyes or Wiltord maybe on Sheva, Jeffers hold on why not resurrect Veron's career. Alright lets buy Saha,Bent or Cisse instead.
Money is not always the answer.
The reason Wenger has to wait this long is because WE STILL HAVEN'T QUALIFIED FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!
The player we want to sign won't sign UNTIL WE QUALIFY.
The board have always stated that money was available for Wenger to spend and he even said as much last week when he said he would splash £30m on a striker but we have 4/6 strikers already
Did anyone read what Wenger said about values last week- Chelsea are along with Utd half a billion in debt. Where is the honour in winning that way. The greatest victories are the ones that no one sees coming to upset the status quo.Even Harry Rednapp scoffed at how easy it is to ” Manage” both clubs.
Wenger is taking a strategic path that Fergie is too old to take.He'll be gone before financial restrictions are imposed regarding club spend to income ratio just like the 5 and 6 plan. Fergie wants to cement his legacy before he bows out very very soon.
As for Chelsea…………No comment needed.
And for the guy who is giving up on Arsenal because we're not more like the 'BIG' 2
I'd prefer to win 1 title playing the way we do with the values and players who have grown with the new Arsenal than win a double as Utd/Chelsea have.