Chelsea haven't had the flying start to the season that many pundits expected and haven't looked anywhere near their formidable best of last season.

There are a few reasons for their poor form, but the performances of last season's star performer Cesc Fabregas could certainly be considered as one of the key factors behind the Blues' slow start to the new campaign.

It has indeed been a tough start to the Spain international, however the speed in which the midfielder was exposed against Man City would have been hugely alarming for Jose Mourinho, as it was barely seconds into the game when David Silva turned Fabregas before slotting Sergio Aguero in on goal.

That is the problem with Fabregas. He is a fantastically talented player, capable of scoring and creating goals by the bucket load. But he can't defend, he lacks the tactical intelligence in the big games and ultimately that was one of the main reasons why Barcelona let him leave.

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The defensive frailties are well documented. Pep Guardiola baulked at trying to mould Fabregas into Xavi's successor as he just isn't capable of defending properly.

This is one of the greatest ironies behind the Spaniard's move to Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho, forever the pragmatist, had embraced the playmaker in the deeper role that Guardiola was so unwilling to entrust him with.

It did reap its rewards pretty much instantly, as Fabregas provided Chelsea with that creative spark that saw them get off to a flying start last season.

But the trade off between keeping it tight and playing Fabregas was always there. Despite winning their first four games last season, Chelsea conceded six times. It might well be worse this season, with nine goals already conceded, but what has gone missing is the goals and assists from Fabregas.

The former Arsenal star only scored three goals last season, but his eighteen assists was the best in the league by some distance. His creativity unlocked many defences and lifted Chelsea's midfield play from functional to fabulous.

However, comparing this season to last, Fabregas has been out of form. In his first four games of last season he assisted six goals, compared to none so far this term. You may say he is still being creative, but chances are being missed, though this isn't really the case.

His chances created per game has slipped from three to just 1.3 and, even more alarmingly, he hasn't made one single clear cut chances this season, compared to last term's 16.

It isn't like Fabregas is playing it safe now, either. His passing accuracy is down from 85% to 81%, with his passes in the final third slipping from 77% to just 69%. The numbers show he is trying, he just hasn't been as effective this time around.

But something that is more worrying for Fabregas is his typical dip in form after the festive period has carried on for seven months now, which means Fabregas has been out of form at Stamford Bridge longer than the period of time he was in form.

The stats show the decline. Before January Fabregas had created 15 goals and scored two, as well as creating 67 chances. Just three assists, one goal and just 33 chances created since January proves his form has dipped considerably, and Mourinho may need to address it pretty soon.

What he chooses to do is anyone's guess. He could move him further forward or just leave him be. Moving Fabregas into an attacking midfield role would only put more pressure on the Spaniard to find the end product of his that's seemingly gone missing from his game.

The signs aren't good. And so, extraordinarily, the player who so epitomised the early season swagger of Chelsea's title stroll last term could yet become a high-profile victim of their stuttering start to the defence of that crown.

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