Cesc Fabregas has lost his place in a Chelsea first-team upon the arrival of Antonio Conte and this has been a major surprise given the quality of the Spanish playmaker.
He has performed exceptionally well – apart from a couple of poor periods – in his two years at the club. Hence, it was surprising to see him on the bench even from pre-season. It has been speculated that Fabregas has been looking towards a return to Spanish football with his place at Chelsea being unsure. After being on the substitutes bench for the opening game, Fabregas was not called upon even when the blues were chasing the game.
However, he has made a huge difference by coming on to help the team win in the 2-1 victory over Watford while going on to star in the 3-2 win over Bristol Rovers in the EFL Cup. Now, it appears that there may be a chance for Fabregas to return to the first-team after manager Conte praised his attitude despite being on the bench for key matches. The Italian says that Fabregas has been an exemplary professional and he has not reduced the work that he puts into training as a result of being dropped. A couple of injuries may see Fabregas back in the reckoning for the first team action.
“I am pleased with his attitude. He is working very hard during the training sessions to show me he deserves to play. I want to see this, that all the players show me they deserve to start the game. I am a very happy manager when I see this commitment. When you have many players thinking about the team and not himself, it’s important. This situation is happening at Chelsea,” said Conte. Fabregas could be recalled to the starting line-up for the home game against Burnley on Saturday.