Thursday, June 12, 2014

On Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas is coming back to London.

To play for Jose Mourinho.

While most Arsenal apologists will find reasons to rationalize the club's decision to decline to use a widely-reported buy-back clause and let him join a direct rival, I won't.

My honest opinion: Arsenal Football Club screwed up. BIG.

Cesc Fabregas was the best midfielder in England for two years before he left for Barcelona in the summer of 2011. There was no Yaya Toure in 2011, and Cesc was better than Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard. He was the best midfielder England had to offer.

Cesc Fabregas has spent 3 years at Barcelona, where he struggled to fit in with Xavi and Iniesta. But Barcelona made room for him. And a new manager scapegoated him for a poorly-constructed team's failures.

I know a lot of people want to say he was ineffective and a bust at Barcelona. Here are the facts.

Fabregas made 96 appearances for Barcelona in 3 years, an average of 32 per season. Despite numerous injuries.

Fabregas scored 28 goals in his 96 Barcelona appearances. 0.29 goals/appearance. This nearly doubled his production while at Arsenal, where he scored 35 goals in 212 appearances, an average of .16 goals/appearance.

The fact is, Fabregas got better in his three years at Barcelona. And now he will join Arsenal's direct rival.

Arsenal finished in 4th place last season. Chelsea 3rd. By not utilizing the fabled first option, Arsenal has let Fabregas significantly strengthen a direct rival in a position where they sorely needed help.

Am I surprised? No.

Arsenal Football Club already has a world class player in Fabregas's preferred position. And Arsenal Football Club doesn't particularly care if it's actions (or lackthereof) improve a direct rival.

When the company sold Robin van Persie, the buying club won the league the next season, largely due to van Persie's excellent performances.

Fabregas, Diego Costa, and Chelsea have a good chance of winning the league next year as well.

Arsene Wenger spent 42 million pounds on Mesut Ozil last summer. Ozil plays Fabregas's preferred position. There is you're ready-made excuse, apologists.

Cling to that all the way to 4th place next May.

Am I frustrated? Yes.

When Arsenal bought Mikel Arteta, he had always been an attacking midfielder. A creative playmaker. But his experience helped him transition into a deeper defensive role.

Mikel Arteta became Wenger's first choice defensive midfielder because he is intelligent and technically capable. He can distribute the ball and he is positionally disciplined.

Arteta was 28 when he signed for Arsenal. He is now 31. And his days in the first team are numbered.

Cesc Fabregas is 27.

Fabregas could have made the transition to a deeper playmaking role just as Arteta did three years ago.

Wenger clearly has not valued physicality or tackling ability in his central midfielders recently. Flamini is the team's physical tackler, and he failed to take Arteta's place as the season progressed. Rather, Wenger values Arteta's intelligence and technical ability to keep possession over Flamini's rugged physicality.

Personally, I don't agree with Wenger's logic. I would much rather have a ball-winner like Flamini in the team than Arteta, because I think the Arsenal team is weak without the ball. That being said, I can rationalize why Wenger values Arteta's discpline and intelligence over Flamini's recklessness.

But the rationalizing ends today. If Wenger would rather have an intelligent, technical midfielder at the base of his midfield than a rugged, physical tackler, Cesc Fabregas is an clear improvement over Arteta. Arteta was obviously the weakest player in Arsenal's first 11 last season.

Signing Fabregas for his buy-back clause would be a no-brainer, unless Wenger has decided to inject more physicality into his midfield. Time will tell if a different midfielder will take Arteta's place before the season kicks off next August. Perhaps Javi Martinez or Lars Bender could be on their way to North London. Or an unknown star from Serbia we've never hear of. Whoever it is, he better be great.

Because if no replacement comes, understand this clearly:

Letting one of the 10 best midfielders in the world join a direct rival, when Arsenal had all the leverage, is a colossal mistake.

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