The melodrama of Cristiano Ronaldo’s cryptic assertions of his “sadness” at Real Madrid at the weekend perhaps masked the really intriguing story coming out of Spanish football. Cesc Fabregas, the man with “Barcelona DNA” who fought for almost two seasons to be transferred from Arsenal back to his “home”, went yet another game without scoring and produced an altogether poor performance for the Catalans in their 1-0 victory over Valencia.
It has not been the brightest of starts to the season for Fabregas and in truth, it is a run of poor form that has extended itself from the second half of last season. It had all begun so promisingly for last summer’s returning hero. By January, the man who had not won a trophy at the Emirates for seven years had racked up three at Camp Nou and had 14 goals already for his troubles in a seamless transition to life at Barca. However, the second half of the season saw Fabregas’ form stall while both the goals and trophies dried up. No matter, they said. It was just a blip. Cesc would come back stronger than ever in his second season, particularly after starring in Spain’s Euro 2012 win as their “false nine”, a role that brought him two goals and countless assists.
Three games into the season however and Fabregas has found himself substituted after similar patchy performances in each of them. His passing, often so incisive, lacks precision, his running appears laboured and worst of all, his finishing, normally so cool, is lazy and at times almost arrogant. The Valencia game on the weekend was a case in point.
Having found himself free in the box on two occasions with only the keeper to beat, Fabregas’ first attempt saw him attempt a nonchalant chip over keeper that rebounded against the post when a simple side foot would have brought the goal, while the second saw him lazily lift the ball over the bar. This was not the way it was supposed to be. Fabregas’ comments this week spoke of his frustration: “There is no such thing as a great substitute in football. I couldn’t tell you what makes great a substitute. I came here to compete, to learn and to enjoy, not to sit racking my brains”. (Source: The Daily Mail).
So what does Cesc Fabregas have to do to rescue a Barcelona career that is in danger of turning sour? For one, it sounds simple, but Fabregas just needs to in fact, keep things simple. Often when he gets the chance to play, it feels as if the 25 year old feels under pressure to perform miraculous defence-splitting passes or beautifully dispatched finishes into the back of the net, just as the likes of Iniesta or Messi do. Fabregas should give himself more credit. He is now a regular in the all conquering Spanish team as their striking point of reference and so does not need to prove himself to anyone.
Indeed, part of what makes Iniesta and Messi so great is their simplicity. So perhaps, rather than attempting a cheeky chip, Fabregas should just put his foot through it and ensure it goes in, much like Messi always does. Similarly, instead of attempting the eye-of-the-needle pass that is not always available, perhaps Fabregas should just focus on playing the simple pass, keeping hold of possession and biding his time for a clearer opportunity. These are precisely the things he was doing at the beginning of his Barcelona career.
Perhaps the other thing Fabregas needs to do is fully decide which position he is best suited to. Of course, at Barcelona, to simply define yourself as a central midfielder is not enough with the rapid interchanging of positions and versatility their philosophy demands. But perhaps if Fabregas was to define himself as a true “false nine” or a true advanced playmaker, then he could avoid the situation he is in at the moment when manager Tito Villanova seems to not quite know where his player’s best role is. Additionally, Fabregas arguably needs to adapt his game somewhat.
At Arsenal, he thrived on dictating the tempo and running onto the ball to finish chances off with the greater space the Premier League affords. At Barcelona, where their attack is often faced by blanket defences, Fabregas does not have the required space to run onto the ball. He must learn to come and show for the ball, probing ever so slightly with patience. If the opportunity is not there, no need to force it. The opportunity will come. Clearly, this refers to the simplicity that I referred to previously in the article, rather than a constant search for ingenuity.
Fundamentally, Cesc Fabregas is too good a player to continue on his current downward spiral at the club that he adores. Perhaps after last season’s early successes the player became too comfortable with life at Camp Nou. However, what Fabregas has shown since his early days at Arsenal is that he is a fighter and with just a little bit of fine tuning to match his undoubted skill, a return to form is surely just be around the corner.
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I’d love to say who gives a flying monkey, but this is Fabregas!! and gooners like us, want him in good shape mentally and physically… For his second coming!!!