Speculation has surrounded Cesc Fabregas’ future at Chelsea after he was left to play a spectator role in their win over West Ham United.
While Chelsea fans continue to watch GIFs ad nauseam of some of Antonio Conte’s finest celebration work in their 2-1 win over the Hammers, the Italian is constantly looking for ways to improve his oft-criticised squad. As news came through surrounding team selection before the Blues’ opening day win, one feature which caught the attention of the football world was Cesc Fabregas on the bench.
As Chelsea rallied to register a dramatic victory at Stamford Bridge, the 90 minutes elapsed and all three substitutions were made. Yet Fabregas was unmoved and unused. From there, the transfer talk of the town has been surrounding a potential departure for the Spaniard after just two full seasons on SW6.
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Oscar was preferred to Fabregas with the Brazilian’s defensive discipline and industry favoured in Conte’s 4-1-4-1 system alongside Nemanja Matic. After his big-money move to Stamford Bridge in the summer, N’Golo Kante will be ever-present in Chelsea’s midfield – the only question is who will support the Frenchman in Conte’s side. The first match of the campaign suggested Fabregas might find it difficult to cement a regular role in the XI.
Fabregas will ultimately get his chance and should remain at the Bridge to see out the season and fight for his place. His manager alluded to the fact he would get his chance in his post-match press conference, and it is Fabregas’ key attribute which may solve one of the big question marks coming out of the Blues’ performance against the Hammers.
Chelsea very nearly had to lament their lack of conviction in the front third before Diego Costa’s 89th-minute winner saw the team come away with the full complement of points. Despite dominating possession and having control of the game, the Blues almost had to settle for a point in a manner which was similar to Jose Mourinho’s first season of his second spell at Chelsea. It was then when Mourinho decided Fabregas would be the man to assist his team to the title.
While the midfield trio of Kante, Matic and Oscar convincingly broke up West Ham’s attacks and maintained possession for the Blues, it was ultimately left to a penalty and a classic centre-forward’s finish to seal the result. As Costa and Eden Hazard look to be building something close to what resembles their most devastating form, Fabregas has shown in previous seasons he is the man that brings the best out of Chelsea’s attacking game.
The main form of intrigue surrounding selection this season will be the preference between Oscar and Fabregas, should both men stay at the Bridge. While the Brazilian did nothing wrong in the win over the Hammers and built into the match nicely, inconsistency across the campaign has been a feature in his game since arriving at the Blues: only seven of his 38 goals have come after 31 January.
The 29-year-old will have no shortage of suitors, whether it is in England, Spain or in a number of top leagues around Europe. As the Blues aim to surge up the table, they will be sending the wrong message by selling one of their better players who can be one of the world’s best in his position on his day.
Heading to Vicarage Road this weekend will provide another test for a rebuilding Chelsea looking for consecutive wins – something it completed only once last season. What the Blues also failed to do was score the last time they were at the venue, as Watford shut them out in a 0-0 draw. The Hornets have proven to be nothing short of tricky opposition during their time in the top flight and will be in front of their home fans for the first time this campaign.
Should a similar occasion to last year’s battle as well as the win over the Hammers occur this weekend (or, indeed, later in the season), Conte would love to turn over his shoulder and be able to bring Cesc Fabregas into the fold.
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