SCOUTING REPORT ~ CESC FABREGAS It was the moment that Chelsea fans have been waiting for - Cesc Faregas pulling on the blue shirt for the 1st time. The 27yrs-old made his 1st appearance for Chelsea in their 2-1 friendly win over NK Olimpija Ljubljana&looked impressive alongside fellow debutant Diego Costa. The Spain intnl,a £27M summer signing from Barcelona,lined up in midfield alongside Nemanja Matic for his debut in Sundays pre-season friendly meeting with NK Olimpija Ljubljana,giving supporters a taster of what they could expect in the forthcoming campaign. Chelsea Malawi takes a look at how he got on in Slovenia,as well at what might be in store for the future... PERFORMANCE AGAINST NK OLIMPIJA LJUBLJANA In what could be Jose Mourinhos 1st-choice CM partnership,Fabregas slotted in alongside Matic for his Chelsea debut vs Olimpija Ljubljana&looked sharp having returned from a disappointing World Cup with Spain. The 27yrs-old was largely stationed in front of the back 4 but with more of a license to move forward than Serbian star Matic. It was his range of passing that caught the eye most,however,&he was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch during the 1st 45mins. Fabregas found Mohamed Salah in particular on at least 2 occasions with accurate through balls behind the Olimpija defence although the Egyptian failed to create anything meaningful in front of goal as the Blues went in behind at half-time. And shortly after the interval,Fabregass creativity finally led to a Chelsea goal. The ex-Arsenal man released fellow debutant Diego Costa with a low pass behind the hosts back 4&his intnl teammate did the rest,smashing past Aleksander Seliga to make it 1-1. Fabregas was eventually brought off for Oriol Romeu,another Barcelona academy graduate,but can be delighted with his start to life as a Chelsea player. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? Having completed his move to Chelsea,Fabregas will undoubtedly be desperate to force his way straight into Mourinhos starting XI for the 2014-15 campaign. Flanked by Eden Hazard&Oscar in an attack spearheaded by compatriot Diego Costa,goals could tumble out of Stamford Bridge this season,with the triumvirate behind the prolific Spain striker adept at both creating&scoring. Mourinho may also slot Fabregas into more of a holding role,as he did on Sunday in the victory over NK Olimpija Ljubljana. Deployed alongside Matic,the former Barcelona midfielder would be given freedom to join in attacks whilst also not completely abandoning his defensive responsibilities. Should he impress in his new surroundings Fabregas will also hope to be handed a role in a wounded Spain side too. After all the former Barca midfielder is 3yrs younger than Andres Iniesta (30)&Xavi (35)&has always appeared to be the heir to the Roja playmaker throne. And he could conceivably link up with Man Uniteds Ander Herrera as Spain seek to exorcise the ghosts of 2014 by qualifying for Euro 2016 in style. The Blues success this season does not rest squarely on Fabregas – the strength in depth at Chelsea is scary – but he will surely have a key role in any success the club have. A GOOD 2014-15 WOULD BE... First&foremost,Fabregas will want to ensure he is an almost irreplaceable member of Mourinhos title-chasing side. With the likes of Matic,John Obi Mikel,Ramires&then more attacking talents such as Andre Schurrle,Oscar, Willian,Eden Hazard&Salah,1 thing Mourinho wont be short of is options. Fabregass capacity to play in a deeper position in what will likely be a 4-2-3-1 system should see him feature prominently in 2014-15,while,as demonstrated to devastating effect for both Barcelona&Arsenal,he is more than capable of playing the #10 role further up the field. The Spaniard has come to west London to win trophies&ensuring Chelsea are there or thereabouts in the race for the Premier League title will likely be priority #1 for player as well as club,while success in the Champions League&the domestic cup competitions will also be high on the agenda. After playing less than 45mins of Spains humiliating 2014 World Cup,Fabregas will also want to make more of an impact for his national team in 2014-15 at a time when boss Vicente del Bosque clearly does not see him as a mainstay in his Roja starting XI. #King
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 07:04:03 +0000