The latest player to fall into the transfer trap?
Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been marginalised to an extent at the club this season under new boss Tito Vilanova, lacking not only a clearly defined role in the side, and the feeling that he may have made the move back home to his first club a little soon continues to persist. That’s not to say that he’s the first player in history to have made the step up in class before the timing was right and there are a few excellent example right here on our own shores of a similar mistake being made.
Despite being afforded more playing time the past couple of weeks than he was at the start of the season, Vilanova has rotated his squad as he seeks to extent their lead over rivals Real Madrid early on in the campaign, aiming to keep key players fresh for the title run-in later on in the season. This has seen Fabregas return to the starting eleven, but you suspect that it’s more of a temporary measure than a permanent one and it appears as if he’s not held in quite the same esteem by the new Catalan coach as he was Guardiola.
Even a hint of dissatisfaction the past month or so on Fabregas’ part has been pounced on as a sign that the midfielder is looking for an exit from the Camp Nou, by a ridiculously over-zealous media in Spain and it’s all been greatly exaggerated. While he may not be first-choice, as his slump from January onwards last term has carried into this one, he clearly still has a long-term future in Catalunya.
Nevertheless, you do wonder why Fabregas was seemingly so intent on securing a move back to Barcelona at the age of 24. He may have spent eight-years with Arsenal in the Premier League, but here was a side preparing to build their side around his special skill set, while at Barcelona, he is merely another cog in a well-oiled machine and behind the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi which led to Fabregas arguing “the manager knows what I can offer. But across the three positions that I can play in, I am competing against the three best players in the world.”
Fabregas was always destined to return to Barcelona one day; there were no other rivals for his signature and the move had a certainty to it rarely seen in the game, it was just all a matter of timing. It seems as if the club bought him last summer because they could rather than because they actually needed to. While Guardiola may have praised the direct and unpredictable style gleaned from growing up in the Premier League, labelling it ‘anarchy’, Fabregas is well-know to have struggled with the more tactical demands and the mentally draining part of Barcelona’s methodical preparation and ingrained ethos.
The emergence of Thiago Alacantara hasn’t helped matters either and while Fabregas may go on to become a relied upon member guaranteed of a starting place each week further down the line, he certainly isn’t at the moment. The overriding feeling this campaign is that Fabregas gets a game when Vilanova can’t or chooses not to select someone else and he may have been better served staying an extra couple of years in England before making the inevitable switch.
The timing of making you big career move to a top club is everything and something that Adam Johnson fell prey too at Manchester City, failing to earn the full trust of manager Roberto Mancini and being used as a back-up player much in the same way Fabregas is this season, against so-called lesser opposition.
He made just 20 starts last season and completed a full 90 minutes on only six occasions, against Bolton, Sunderland, Stoke, Wolves, Wigan and finally Arsenal in the Carling Cup. I argued when City signed him, and received a fair amount of abuse for my theory may I add, that Johnson had the potential to play for a club with title ambitions, but that he had missed a crucial step in his career first; he needed to prove himself in the top flight and in essence ‘earn’ his move rather than always being seen as merely ‘potential’. As such, he’s had to take a step backwards to secure first-team football at Sunderland before he can think of playing for a top six club again.
Another example is Chelsea’s move for Victor Moses this summer. You can understand it from the club’s perspective, they acquire a decent winger to help add depth to their squad, he’s quick, can play off both feet and more importantly considering the new rules with concerns to squad lists being submitted, is young and English. However, does Moses honestly ever realistically see himself becoming a regular at the club over the course of the next couple of years? He’s going to stagnate just at a time when he needs football every week, similarly Scott Sinclair will likely do the same at Manchester City, with David Silva and Samir Nasri way ahead in the pecking order.
These sort of players are bought with the idea of becoming useful squad players and they will always remain just that. It’s very difficult to play your way into a managers first-choice starting eleven and many footballers make their move to a big club before they are truly ready or before their status carries enough currency to assure them regular football. Fabregas will be a Barcelona player for years to come and he will likely be consistently involved across all competitions this term, but the timing of the move looks a little off to me and it has the potential to hold him back when he could have been flourishing still here in England.
Are there any players that you think have made their moves to top clubs too early on in their careers? Post the below.
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September 21st, 2012
But the question is, if every decent player shouldn’t be a squad player, who exactly will the squad players be? Every club names 25 players over the age of 21, meaning at least 10 of them won’t start regularly and top clubs want/need better than average squad/rotation players.
September 21st, 2012
Look at Real Madrid’s bench against City for example… Ramos, Kaka, Modric, Ozil, Benzema… that’s about £170million worth of players right there, would Real Madrid be as good if they didn’t have this sort of depth?
September 22nd, 2012
Well they’re all fine because at the time they moved to Real Madrid, they were regarded as first-choice regualr who would walk into the side nearly every week, Fabregas is not.
Plus, that was just a one-off game where Mourinho rotated his squad to get a reaction, Ozil, Ramos and Benzema will all play 30+ league games this year, while Kaka isn’t as highly-thought as he once was now because of all his injuries, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a mainstay when he signed, he just underperformed.
Big club obviously need strength in depth, but it’s really all about the timing of the move more than anything, Cecs has got his wrong.
September 22nd, 2012
The more I read your post, the more fantastical it gets!
Are you honestly saying that Cesc Fabregas isn’t good enough yet to be a regular in the Barca team? He is a regular, and will remain so when fit, and could get in any side in the world.
Were you saying that when he was your Captain and best player? Not so long ago the Arsenal fans were whinging he only went for £35 million, and he was really worth more like £50 million.
The author of this article states this-
“Despite being afforded more playing time the past couple of weeks than he was at the start of the season, ”
then goes on to concoct a scenario whereby Fabregas is out of favour and might even be flogged!
You wish.
September 21st, 2012
santi can do all fab can do and is quicker early days yet but 16 mil against 35 mil looking good all round
September 21st, 2012
Chelsea has a beter playa than fabregas 4 nw
September 22nd, 2012
I honestly can’t see where you get the idea Fabregas is out of favour at Barca so early in the season?
He played a full role in the Euro’s, and didn’t get much of a preseason, like all the other players who went to the final, and he obviously is being eased back in. Other players like Balotelli and Silva are similarly off form, and plainly need to recharge their batteries, I suppose you’ll be giving them a hard time next?
You have such an obvious Arsenal tinted agenda in this, and many other articles I’m embarrassed for you.
Get over it, he left at his peak to join a better club, he’ll win loads of trophies for club and country, and he doesn’t love you anymore.
He’ll have a massive grin on his face at the end of the season I guarantee you.
September 22nd, 2012
He’s started just two games since the start of the season.
Meanwhile, Iniesta, Xavi and Pique who all played with Fabregas for Spain and went to the final have started four. David Silva hasplayed in every game so far this season while Balotelli isn’t and hasn’t ever been first-choice when everyone is fit and is behind Aguero and Tevez in the pecking order, so no, he’s not being eased back in, this is just the norm.
Arsenal agenda? The thought that somebody can only write an article because they support that team is embarrassing.
Name Barcelona’s first-choice starting line-up – does Fabregas get in it, that’s the real question?
Valdes, Alves, Pique, Puyol, Adriano, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Sanchez and Villa (when he’s fully fit).
What nonsense.
September 22nd, 2012
The fact you think Barcelona’s starting 11 is more important than the way they use their squad, including substitutions says it all.
All the top teams play a squad game and pick the team according to the opposition, who is fit, who is tired, who is suspended, who they’re playing in the near future, and not one manager would ever name his best 11 if questioned, because that’s not how they think – I can’t believe I need to explain this to you.
Of course some players who played in the final will have started every game, whilst others need a rest – all players are individuals with different recovery rates etc..
As for Arsenal agenda, click on the author’s name and read his articles – it sticks out like a sore thumb, which is embarrassing. And of course you’re not an Arsenal fan either are you?
September 22nd, 2012
I’m not an Arsenal fan actually, apologies if that doesn’t quite fit in with your conspiracy theory. Embarrassing indeed.
September 22nd, 2012
The point of the article is that Fabregas is a good player, is at the best club in the world and can’t get in all the time. I honestly can’t see what’s actually wrong with that.
Of course football is a squad game, the above never says it isn’t, but you’re seeing this solely from the club’s perspective, while from Fabregas’ he would have been better off staying at Arsenal maybe until Xavi retired then he’s the go-to guy when they want to strengthen.
I get what he’s saying, Barca didn’t need him they just bought him because they felt they sort of had to at some point and when the side is at full strength he wouldn’t play. If Barca played Real Madrid next weekend, Cesc wouldn’t start.
To pre-empt and answer your question, no I’m not an Arsenal fan, I’m a City supporter.
September 22nd, 2012
Apologies if you’re not an Arsenal fan James, step up to the plate then and tell us who you do support.
September 22nd, 2012
Well if I’m not an Arsenal fan, then who I do actually support is irrelevant, as you’ve essentially accused me of an inherent agenda as some sort of pro-Arsene Wenger fanboy. If anything, articles like this (http://www.footballfancast.com/2012/08/football-blogs/does-wenger-need-to-adapt) often see me labelled as being anti-Arsenal. It’s all about balance and I try to call it as I see it, for want of a better cliche, rather than boiling it down to petty tribalism.
The idea that you can’t write a somewhat positive point on a subject matter or team without also being a fan of them is pretty ridiculous.
To my knowledge, as the above states, Cesc was a key player at Barca last year up until about late January/February time before his dip in form. Messi and to a lesser extent Sanchez carried them and it’s amazing really with so many players out of form that Real Madrid didn’t manage to win the title a lot earlier.
Cesc is a fine player and would walk into any other side in the world, the two Spanish giants apart. That doesn’t make him a bad player, nor does it mean that he won’t in the future be a relied upon regular, but his reduced role in the side is because he’s regarded as being inferior to his team-mates. As the man himself states, there’s no shame in that, he’s competing against Messi, Iniesta and Xavi. He’ll still play 25+ league games this season but I’d be very surprised if he started more than 25.
When he did leave Arsenal, it looked like the right time for the player and while an important squad member, like Pedro, Song and Adriano, there’s a big difference between the role he wants and the role at the moment he actually has.
September 22nd, 2012
You’re right James,
who you support should not colour the articles you write, which is one of the reasons I do not do so -I’m a City fan, and I can’t divorce that from my footballing interests easily, but I do enjoy debate.
I cannot stop myself from theorising why on earth someone would pen an article claiming Cesc Fabregas has moved to Barca too early in his career – it just doesn’t fit with all I know of the player and the squad game played by top teams.
I watch every Barca game on TV, and have done for several years, so I have an opinion.
As I stated, Cesc was the Arsenal Captain and most valuable player at the time of his move, not to mention World Cup winner – if that wasn’t the right time to go home, then when?
Too many media pundits fail to take into account the squad rotation, and glaringly, injuries with the attendant recovery time – it’s not so simple as one minute you’re unfit, the next back to your best – there’s a recovery period which can sometimes be months to get back to peak performance.
By your logic, Adam Johnson’s move to Sunderland has been a flop, as he hasn’t played every game this season, same as Fabregas. Of course he’s been injured, and will need time, but I await the first article slating him and his career move.
The modern squad player also has the benefit of not playing with injuries, which shortens their career, and ruins their reputations – through no fault of their own. Perhaps Fabregas has been carrying niggles since January to explain his loss of form? (of course you could be right, then I’ll have egg on my face).
Fabregas was always injury prone at the Arsenal, so to expect him to suddenly get legs of steel is asking a bit much – squad rotation for players of his physique is a positive, not a negative – same as Samir Nasri and David Silva in my opinion, who are not really up to full seasons at their full potential at the very top.
Maybe Fabregas is happy with his role at Barca, but not with his fitness?
September 22nd, 2012
Well like I said in the article, there was no rush behind the move, it was inevitable, there would be no challenge from any other side, so to buy him while they still had Xavi, iniesta and Messi playing every week was a needless indulgence. The player obviously wanted to go home, but the way his role has been reduced in recent time has shown that it was obviously not quite the right time to make it. Why not wait a year or two longer and make Barcelona need you rather than just want you?
Well, no, that’s not actually my logic at all, it’s a twisted way of looking at it, but it’s not actually what I’ve said at all. I’ve actually praised the Adam Johnson move above, it’s the sort of club he should have moved to after Middlesbrough, then onto a club like City, rather than the other way around, his career would have been on an upward curve as opposed to what is now most definitely a step backwards and down.
Let’s take a look at the claim that Fabregas is not at full fitness or is struggling with injury, though and dispel that one once and for all.
He started the club’s opening game of the season at home to Real Sociedad in a 5-1 win and did alright.
The second game against Osasuna he started again and played poorly. The third game away at Getafe he started and didn’t do that well again. The fourth game against Valencia he started again but was again very disappointing.
In the first SuperCopa match against Real Madrid he started on the bench and in the reverse leg he was again on the bench.
The reason he’s started all four league game is that Iniesta was fit, but then ruled out through injury for a short spell after the first Super Cup game.
Against Getafe, Messi, Mascherano and Alves were all rested. Against Osasuna Mascherano and Xavi were. Against Valencia Iniesta and Busquets were and against Real Sociedad Pique, Iniesta and Sanchez were.
Fabregas is like their 12th-man at the moment, much like Zabaleta is with City for instance. He’s started four games at the expense of Iniesta when he’s been out injured and in the two big games against Real Madrid when Tito Vilanova has had a full squad to pick from, he’s begun on the bench.
The modern squad does require rotation, Vilanova is clearly doing that as like you said before, he nurses players back to full fitness, but the worrying thing is Fabregas is the player he plays while others rest up. That doesn’t indicate a key role to me.
September 22nd, 2012
If I was Fabregas, I’d be more concerned about being rested in League games, than appearing in Super Cup games getting kicked all over the park by the likes of Pepe, Alonso and Ramos – all for a cup which is the3 lowest on the desirability scale.
Vilanova is rotating his squad just like Guardiola did, and I’m sure he knows Barca cannot afford to let Real run away with it again this season – i would argue Fabregas has been selected for the important games, rivalry with real in Super Cup notwithstanding.
You said –
“Let’s take a look at the claim that Fabregas is not at full fitness or is struggling with injury, though and dispel that one once and for all.”
Then proceeded to produce no evidence to back it up!
Players regularly are forced to play matches carrying niggles, or when they’re low on energy levels when the manager deems it neccessary – Roy Keane had painkilling injections regularly in his knees to be able to do what only he apparently could for United, but he would be the first to admit it shortened his career – we just don’t know if Fabregas is carrying slight injuries, or if he’s plain knackered from all the games he’s played since winning the World Cup without much of a break.
A fully fit, fully rested Fabregas is a world beater, and again, I contend he would get in any team in world football.
A topic worthy of examination is whether the modern footballer might pick a team to play for, based on the fact they DO NOT play every game, due to the benefits I’ve previously outlined – longer career, quality game time, enhanced reputation, all due to the rest and reduction in injuries by being part of a large, quality squad which is properly rotated.
I am sure certain players already recognise these benefits – Samir Nasri, David Silva are two who spring to my mind purely because I’m a City fan, you could throw in Wayne Rooney, RVP, Chicharito for debate.
September 22nd, 2012
You’ve contradicted yourself quite a lot there to be honest. Mine is a pretty simple theory, Fabregas is not in Vilanova’s starting eleven when everyone is available, he is playing him in the league at the start while his more important players recover from a long summer which highlights a reduced role,.
The club’s two most important games so far were against Real Madrid, he’s started four out of six and missed the big two. The cup itself is fairly small time but the rivalry is huge best highlighted by how serious both clubs took it by playing their first-choice starting elevens.
So Vilanova doesn’t want to risk Fabregas being kicked in two games against Real Madrid but is happy for him to be kicked in the league? That doesn’t really make much sense.
The simple fact is that Vilanova has enough options in his side that he doesn’t need to play a half-fit Fabregas. The aforementioned players above being left out of various games show the thought-process behind the team selections, if you think you can win a game without Messi or Iniesta, chances are you’ll give them a break and play squad members like Fabregas.
You’ve undermined your own argument because Fabregas is not deemed worthy of resting if he isn’t fully fit, while the others clearly are.
All the games at the World Cup? You mean Euro 2012? If so, to win that tournament you only have to play six games – more importantly, Fabregas only started three of those games (Italy twice and France).
I’m not really buying the physically fatigued line of thought let alone this mystery hidden injury that Vilanova is for some reason prepared to ignore with an apparently key regular (again undermining your argument as he wasn’t prepared to do the same with Iniesta). However, mentally fatigued is another matter entirely and it could explain his dip in form this season.
There’s simply no evidence to suggest that Barcelona would ever ask Fabregas to take a pain-killing injection, so quite where the Roy Keane anecdote comes into this is beyond me and you have to put it into perspective that it’s just the start of the season and no club would ever do that with a player.
If Fabregas was as important as you suggest, they wouldn’t risk him, particularly when they’ve shown a policy of protecting other key players so far this season. He’s been playing poorly at club level and has been for some time, that’s all.
September 23rd, 2012
I stated “since the world cup”, as that’s as I recall how long he’s been playing non-stop football, not since the Euro’s – he’s not really had a decent break from top level footy for a good couple of years.
That’s winning a World Cup and the Euro’s for his country, doesn’t get much more stressful summers than that does it? Not to mention a massive transfer from Arsenal at the very end of the transfer window, settling into his new team, and playing for the best football club in the world – he’s entitled to feel pretty knackered round about now in my book.
Fitness to play also includes mental burnout, and I would say it’s almost impossible for him to be at his best right now, so yes, I reckon he needs easing into this season until he regains his mojo fully.
Of course, he might just be crap all of a sudden, and need developing as per your theory, but I contend as Arsenal Captain, he was putting in world class performances, and has done so for Barca and Spain latterly – his slide in form is more easily explained through the burnout/fitness route.
September 22nd, 2012
Good clubs need good players on the bench and good players cost money. This cannot be changed. The strength of the team includes the bench. So sitting on the bench with good pay does not mean that a player is not good.
September 22nd, 2012
Fabregas left arsenal for a better club, and above all, he went back to his HOME club. Get over it and stop writing such sore articles!!!
September 23rd, 2012
Happens all too often.
Scott parkers move to Chelsea almost robbed him of his career
Jack Rodwell to city
Shaun wright-Phillips was a fool to move to Chelsea.
Steve sidwell to chelsea.
To be frank, only sit Alex and arsene know what to do with a young player who they buy and nurture, where as teams such as Chelsea and city just buy a young talent for the sake of it and will never play them ahead of their money hungry superstars, while the kids always go for the money too. If any of them had half a brain they would stay at their club and play week in week out. Look at Kevin Mirallas, could have gone to arsenal but he said he chose everton cos he was more likely to play week in week out and that’s what his career needs at 24 years old. Clever guy, shame most other footballers aren’t. Even if Rodwell/Sinclair do get played, they wont learn half as much as they would had they stayed at their clubs and played every week. Greedy and foolish and they deserve to ruin their careers. I see your point with fabregas, but he didn’t move early, he was banging in goals for fun when he first arrived. Vilanova is his problem. If anything, he’s lucky he got there in time to get playing time under guardiola
September 23rd, 2012
Errr! I am an Arsenal fan and i didnt detect a bitter Arsenal fan theme in the post, although it’s quite obvious that those writing in to slate the author have missed the point and are just responding with the standard ‘BORING’ anti Arsenal jibes. What I read was that some players switch clubs too early and it doesn’t have the desired effect on their careers. In Fabregas’ case, a couple of years ago all the headlines were about his footballing achievements, now they are about him sitting on the bench and being out of favour with Vilanova. AW did build his team around Fabregas and he was the out and out star, another 2 or 3 years may have turned him into a player worthy of a statue outside the ground. Then he could have gone to Barcelona a player that a manager wouldn’t want to leave out. We will never know, but I have to defend the author of the post, who was just trying to make the point that some footballers make a career move that doesn’t have the desired effect.
September 24th, 2012
Just watched Fabregas playing a full 90 mins against Granada, in the league, to go along with the 90 mins he played in the week against Spartak Moscow in the Champions League.
Had a pretty decent game, could have had a goal if not for Keeper’s acrobatics, but not in full Fabregas flow yet.
Seems very much in Vilanova’s plans this week at least.