Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas has been in and out of the Chelsea starting XI this season, having essentially been displaced by N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic. His lack of regular first team football has led to numerous transfer rumors. The Spaniard has been linked to loan moves and even summer sales to numerous clubs, including West Ham United and Manchester City.
During an interview with Chelsea’s in house TV channel earlier this week Fabregas said “it’s more difficult for the more talented players to succeed” in today’s football landscape, and that’s because “every day you see less talent and more power and players running around.”
Chelsea FC manager Antonio Conte had some very interesting comments in response to those statements.
“It’s true, but not only in football. For example, if think of tennis 10 years ago, 15 years ago, they played with a wooden racket,” Conte said yesterday before the Blues had their uninspiring 1-1 draw with much lower class in competition opponent Burnley.
“And the ball, the speed, was 100, 120 mph. Now it’s 200 mph and I think in every sport you must be competitive in all the aspects — also the physical aspect.”
“This is not modern football, but modern sport. You must improve every year, every record. Usain Bolt changed the story. Before, you run 100m in 10 seconds or 11 seconds. Now it’s nine seconds and this means you have to improve always.
“Cesc is a top player and a genius at football. I can talk [about him] in the same way as about Andrea Pirlo. In the same way. We are talking about a genius of football.
“Cesc if he doesn’t run 100m in 10 seconds, I can allow him this, because he’s a genius with the ball. His velocity is in his mind. With Cesc we are working a lot on tactical aspects and to improve also his positioning. Cesc I think is different.”
That’s quite the laudatory praise there for Cesc. A “football genius?” and “a top player?” Wow! It doesn’t appear that Fabregas will be moving on from Stamford Bridge any time soon; not with that kind of approval vocally expressed by his manager.
Despite today’s underwhelming result from the Blues, CFC remain top of the table, with a 10 point lead over fellow London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, Bold and the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication, appears regularly as a guest on CGTN America, WGN CLTV News and KOZN.
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