Cesc Fabregas Factor: Why the Arsenal Captain is the Class of the EPL
By Michael Henriksen (Contributor) on March 4, 2011 - London 396
His pace is lacking. He’s not a clinical finisher. His numbers are hardly impressive for a superstar: 3 goals and 9 assists in 20 league games.
He‘s statistically outshined by his own teammates. Samir Nasri is in the middle of his best season ever, with 9 goals to his name. Robin Van Persie has 10 goals and 5 assists. Even Andrei Arshavin has netted 5 goals and assisted on 11 more despite being in poor form for much of the season.
But what’s the one stat Cesc Fabregas cares most about? Wins.
And in English football, there is nobody whose presence in the lineup leads to more W’s. With Fabregas playing, Arsenal are 15-3-3 in league games, averaging 2.28 points from each game. Without him, however, they are only 2-2-2, earning only 1.33 points on average.
It’s the difference between being in the Champions League year after year and missing out on European football.
It’s the difference between potentially trailing United by only one point come Saturday evening, and just playing for the FA Cup at this stage in the year.
Game after game, his presence or absence on the field dictates which Arsenal side shows up. The fluid, ball-hogging, merciless European juggernauts, or the exposed, disorganized, Wenger-kids that haven’t matured yet.
He transforms a side that can be tantalizingly infuriating into a legitimate Euro threat. He creates vast attacking options through his distribution of the ball. He completely dictates the pace of the game with his touches in the midfield.
Certain games tell the story perfectly. For instance, on September 18, when Arsenal visited Sunderland, Fabregas hobbled off the pitch in the 29th minute with a goal and his team leading 1-0. His replacement, Tomas Rosicky, ended up leaving his mark on the game by missing a penalty before Sunderland equalised in the 96th minute.
Most recently against Stoke, Arsenal opened with a flurry of chances, and took a 1-0 lead before Cesc had to go off with a hamstring problem in the 14th minute. After that, they looked uninspiring in the final third, and were fortunate to take away three points as the game ended 1-0.
In the Carling Cup final without Cesc, the Gunners’ attack never was able to break down Birmingham’s ranks and score a go-ahead goal, leaving them vulnerable to fumble away the Cup.
Arsenal have struggled to banish lower sides from the FA Cup without their skipper. They were down 1-0 at home to Leeds before Cesc came on and inspired the comeback. Again, against Huddersfield he entered a 1-1 game late and the Gunners walked away 2-1 victors. Without him, League One side Leyton Orient forced a replay against Arsene Wenger’s much more talented squad.
In the Champions League, Arsenal relinquished top spot in the group by losing 2-1 to Shaktar Donetsk. Fabregas missed that game, too. As a result, they are now up against the world’s best team in Barcelona.
And fittingly, it was Fabregas’s through ball that led to the Gunners’ 2-1 win at the Emirates.
Hopefully it’s becoming clear why Barca launched such a strong campaign last summer to reacquire their former La Masia starlet, despite already having the best midfield in the game.
The one thing that’s been missing from Fabregas’s repertoire has been his finishing. His three league goals have come off 55 shots. Such a low conversion rate would be more noticeable if those shots weren’t scattered among all the chances he creates for others.
Last year he was far more authoritative in front of goal, netting 19 goals on 108 shots in all competitions for Arsenal.
His bad habit of missing games with hamstring problems has proved highly detrimental to Arsenal. Currently, he is sidelined again, but claims to feel no pain in training. If Arsenal are to triumph against Barcelona this coming Tuesday at Camp Nou, it is vital that Fabregas features.
Striker Robin Van Persie and winger Theo Walcott have already been ruled out, perhaps the two attacking options that benefit most from Fabregas’s distribution of the ball. We will likely see Andrei Arshavin and Niklas Bendtner start instead.
Apart from struggling alongside each other at times this season, both players often seem too caught up in their own performances to reap the rewards of Fabregas’s vision and intricate passing.
Wenger has been cautiously optimistic in his assessment of Fabregas’s chances of making the game. He knows how important No. 4 is to his lineup. Do we really believe there’s even a small chance Fabregas sits on the bench?
Whether he can lead his team to victory or not is another question. He will certainly need help, especially from his back four and Alex Song if they are to survive the Barcelona onslaught.
Last year without Fabregas, Arsenal were dominated by Messi and company and lost 4-1. This year, as long as El Capitan is on the pitch, the Gunners at least stand a chance.
Given how greatly he transforms his team, there’s no other player in England I’d rather have for this game.
