When Chelsea fans got to know that Maurizio Sarri would manage the club from the start of the 18-19 season, they were hopeful of their fortunes changing, performances improving, new players arriving and titles coming in.
When a new manager comes in, he brings in new ideas, a new style of play and new mentality. In his mind, he has a picture of how he wants to run things. Some players adapt to this idea, while some fall prey. No better example can be provided of this situation at Chelsea, than the curious case of Cesc Fabregas.
Bought in 2014 to aid Chelsea’s desire to be crowned champions of England, Cesc brought a creative threat to Chelsea. Finding key passes nobody would dare to fashion, Fabregas was the main man in midfield commanding Chelsea’s title charge, also chipping in with goals and assists. There’s no doubt he was the mastermind on the pitch in that title-winning season.
Since then, Conte took over from Mourinho and Hiddink, and brought in a new ideology. Fabregas rose to the challenge, providing key performances that saw the Blues succeed as champions in 16-17. And while he has still been relatively influential to Chelsea with time and age catching up, the arrival of Sarri was the final nail in the coffin for Cesc.
With Sarri coming in and revolutionising Chelsea, with “Sarri-ball” taking the league by storm, Cesc fell prey. The signing of Jorginho was proof of Sarri’s intentions, with the midfielder vital in Sarri’s style of play.
This meant Cesc fell out of favor, resigned to the bench and sometimes, even out of the squad. He made the move to Monaco in January, in search of more game-time.
In a recent press conference, Fabregas reflected on his time in London, explaining the situation he was in. Fabregas said he could’ve signed on at Chelsea, but couldn’t, citing that Jorginho is like a ‘son’ to Sarri, and that spelt trouble for the Spaniard with Jorginho missing just one league game under Sarri.
With Jorginho leading the passes made in the league this season, playing the centerpiece in Sarri’s footballing model, the move to Monaco was a good one for Cesc, with him getting game time and helping Monaco progress from the mess they were in. How good has Fabregas been in the Premier League, and was Sarri wrong in letting Cesc go?
Not at all but he would have kept him for rotation