7 minutes ago, Theafonis said:

He’s the Ivanovic of this season as someone else put it. A nightmare every time he goes up against a competent midfield. 

I think he'll be a bigger scapegoat than Cahill if he keeps getting played in the midfield. He just isn't up for it, I certainly don't want him sold like many others do, he's an exceptional player with a very high football IQ, he just needs to be used differently. I for one think Pedro needs rotating just as much as Willian, he should start playing more in the front 3. 

3 hours ago, Theafonis said:

He’s the Ivanovic of this season as someone else put it. A nightmare every time he goes up against a competent midfield. 

Even bottom of the table midfields school him. He literally jugs about the pitch like it's a training session even when he's just given the ball away. Not even going to say anything else. I'm staying off here until the United game. Hopefully we don't sh*t the bed.

I'm sure he's still a brilliant playmaker, but he really doesn't have the physical attributes to play in a midfield duo. Slow, lacking in energy and stamina and relatively weak. 

Hope Drinkwater/Kante are fit sooner rather than later. 

If Guardiala used him like a striker at Barcelone, if he played like a striker with the Spanish selection, it's not for nothing. Fabregas cannot play in middle, again less in a 2 middle. I don't understand why Conte go on with him in middle, now that Drinkwater is available 

Edited November 1, 20178 yr by Cyborg7

Conte made a big mistake playing him in a midfield 2 last night against three incredibly athletic and physical. If we wanna play Cesc in the middle stick another body in there to cover for him. 

Can't do that unless we want to settle for a point as you need two strikers that are mobile and can hold up the ball. We have just one.

26 minutes ago, Strider6003 said:

Can't do that unless we want to settle for a point as you need two strikers that are mobile and can hold up the ball. We have just one.

Would be interested to see how Morata and Batman did as a pair. Only problem with a pure 2 strikers, who ever they may be is, what do you do with Hazard. Easy to drop Willian or Pedro but Hazard...

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

Would be interested to see how Morata and Batman did as a pair. Only problem with a pure 2 strikers, who ever they may be is, what do you do with Hazard. Easy to drop Willian or Pedro but Hazard...

You can do it if you have two center backs who can do the job of three, with a back four you get more options up the pitch.

14 hours ago, DaRick said:

I'm sure he's still a brilliant playmaker, but he really doesn't have the physical attributes to play in a midfield duo. Slow, lacking in energy and stamina and relatively weak. 

Hope Drinkwater/Kante are fit sooner rather than later. 

Strootman, Naingollan, Gonalons, De Rossi, etc, almost embarassing the number of talented midfielders Roma boasts, when a club as rich as us is continuing to persist with a finished article like Cesc.

 

1 hour ago, Theafonis said:

Strootman, Naingollan, Gonalons, De Rossi, etc, almost embarassing the number of talented midfielders Roma boasts, when a club as rich as us is continuing to persist with a finished article like Cesc.

 

You know I was thinking that I was looking at the Roma side and I don't see how we are lightyears away from them, their midfield is better than ours. 

I get the sense that Cesc is the main man on campus with no JT or Diego around this season and this is a playing a large part in him being a constant starter.

I like most would use him from the bench but instead I think he'll continue to start almost every game either in a 2 or at the expense of Pedro in a 352.

I don't think he's the easiest to handle when not playing regularly and Conte must be wary of this with his growing influence because he is certainly not being picked on merit.

I think with fabregas starting his career so young, I don't think he is going to age well. Like rooney and Owen before that, it is difficult to be playing regular premier league football at 17. The games are intense and we don't have a midseason break here either. 

I'm still a big fan of fabregas, he can still do a great job off the bench or starting maybe 40/50% of the games, but I think we need to bring in a playmaker to make us tick. For all bakayoko's potential, I don't think he or Kante for that matter are type of midfielder to get on the ball and dictate the tempo. 

Needs to play deeper, with Kante and another ahead of  him, so he can concentrate on playing the long passes, not running around as much. 

48 minutes ago, Zeta said:

Needs to play deeper, with Kante and another ahead of  him, so he can concentrate on playing the long passes, not running around as much. 

Agreed, maybe in the position Pirlo played under Conte at Juve.

12 hours ago, Zeta said:

Needs to play deeper, with Kante and another ahead of  him, so he can concentrate on playing the long passes, not running around as much. 

Needs to be on the bench and no where else but the bench. 

13 hours ago, Zeta said:

Needs to play deeper, with Kante and another ahead of  him, so he can concentrate on playing the long passes, not running around as much. 

I'm not so sure even that would work anymore. With the way teams close us down high up the pitch, he would struggle even more. Fabregas under pressure has been awful this season, he can't find any space to make a pass and it results in him getting desperate. The only times i have seen Fabregas look comfortable is when we have more of the ball further up the pitch, like against Bournemouth. Any game where we are asked to defend, teams have just played around him and left him chasing shadows.

I hate saying this because he's been a joy to watch for us at times, but maybe this league is just too intense for his body to take on a weekly basis. Maybe the way he was played last season was the only way we could get the best out of him. He was certainly better for us coming off the bench last season than he has been at any point this season.

54 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

I'm not so sure even that would work anymore. With the way teams close us down high up the pitch, he would struggle even more. Fabregas under pressure has been awful this season, he can't find any space to make a pass and it results in him getting desperate. The only times i have seen Fabregas look comfortable is when we have more of the ball further up the pitch, like against Bournemouth. Any game where we are asked to defend, teams have just played around him and left him chasing shadows.

I hate saying this because he's been a joy to watch for us at times, but maybe this league is just too intense for his body to take on a weekly basis. Maybe the way he was played last season was the only way we could get the best out of him. He was certainly better for us coming off the bench last season than he has been at any point this season.

It's not even a weekly basis now. It's been every 3 days. He needs a bit of time away from the pitch imo. 

1 hour ago, Scott Harris said:

I'm not so sure even that would work anymore. With the way teams close us down high up the pitch, he would struggle even more. Fabregas under pressure has been awful this season, he can't find any space to make a pass and it results in him getting desperate. The only times i have seen Fabregas look comfortable is when we have more of the ball further up the pitch, like against Bournemouth. Any game where we are asked to defend, teams have just played around him and left him chasing shadows.

I hate saying this because he's been a joy to watch for us at times, but maybe this league is just too intense for his body to take on a weekly basis. Maybe the way he was played last season was the only way we could get the best out of him. He was certainly better for us coming off the bench last season than he has been at any point this season.

he was great when he came on against stoke. He can't play every 3 days, the reason he is losing the ball more frequently is because he is tired physically and mentally. We do need him in the squad though, he's homegrown, and has leadership qualities. He just needs to accept that his game time will have to be managed carefully, for him to continue at this level. 

2 minutes ago, big blue said:

he was great when he came on against stoke.

Stoke were down to their last recognised defender and going backwards by the time Cesc came on the pitch.

6 minutes ago, coco said:

Stoke were down to their last recognised defender and going backwards by the time Cesc came on the pitch.

Stoke were starting to get some half chances, fabregas was brought on to get some control back, and it worked a treat imo. 

7 minutes ago, big blue said:

Stoke were starting to get some half chances, fabregas was brought on to get some control back, and it worked a treat imo. 

I can't accept that to be honest bb. Cesc came on in the 68th minute at 0-2, Stoke were as you say getting some half chances, but then in the 76th minute Martins Indi went off injured and with no defenders left they brought on midfielder Afellay, we scored twice in the next 6 minutes. 

3 minutes ago, coco said:

I can't accept that to be honest bb. Cesc came on in the 68th minute at 0-2, Stoke were as you say getting some half chances, but then in the 76th minute Martins Indi went off injured and with no defenders left they brought on midfielder Afellay, we scored twice in the next 6 minutes. 

fair enough. I didn't see it like. I thought fabregas coming on and us switching to 352, gave us better control, at time when we under a bit of pressure. Which is exactly what you would want from fabregas coming on in that situation, hence why I said he played well off the bench in that game. Do you think he was poor? 

17 minutes ago, big blue said:

fair enough. I didn't see it like. I thought fabregas coming on and us switching to 352, gave us better control, at time when we under a bit of pressure. Which is exactly what you would want from fabregas coming on in that situation, hence why I said he played well off the bench in that game. Do you think he was poor? 

I don't think he was poor, just the situation was perfect for him to come on and do a job, which he did. But it's not been the case when he has started games, especially against a mobile midifeld. It was pretty embarrassing stuff in Rome last week watching him and Bakayoko.

What i don't understand is why Conte now trusts Cesc to do a job, when last season for most parts he didn't.

6 minutes ago, coco said:

I don't think he was poor, just the situation was perfect for him to come on and do a job, which he did. But it's not been the case when he has started games, especially against a mobile midifeld. It was pretty embarrassing stuff in Rome last week watching him and Bakayoko.

What i don't understand is why Conte now trusts Cesc to do a job, when last season for most parts he didn't.

That was exactly the point I was making. There are going to be situations when fabregas will be a great option, but from the start every week isn't doing him any favours. I don't think he will be 1st choice when everyone is back fit. 

1 minute ago, big blue said:

That was exactly the point I was making. There are going to be situations when fabregas will be a great option, but from the start every week isn't doing him any favours. I don't think he will be 1st choice when everyone is back fit. 

If we can get Kante and Drinkwater into the midfield i will guarantee we will look better straight away, fitness permitting. Then Cesc and Bakayoko can be benched for now. I'm more worried about Bakayoko to be honest, hopefully he will look better when he's with Kante or Drinkwater on the pitch, becasue he just has not got the engine on him to cover Cesc as well.