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What to make of latest Fabregas comments?

By 2011/08/19 21 Comments

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There are different ways of interprating the latest comments of Barcelona’s new signing Cesc Fabregas, even if they might just be more of the usual rhetoric churned out for interviews, people can reveal a lot when not on their guard.

Fabregas spoke of his joy at re-joining his boyhood club, and says he will relish the strong competition for places in the star-studded lineup of the European Champions.

Interestingly, despite the likely outcome of the move being that he will simply sit and watch from the bench as Barca sweep home all trophies before them once again, he feels glad to be out of the comfort zone at Arsenal.

He said: “The easiest thing would have been to stay at Arsenal.

“I’m the captain, playing every game. We are always in the Champions League, always fighting for titles.

“For all that, and the tough competition here, perhaps now might be the worst time to return to Barca. It’s going to be really tough to make the starting XI, but I needed a new challenge in my life.

“I thought I’d stagnated a bit, and needed a change of scenery. I needed a special motivation to bring the best out of myself.”

The automatic response to that would be – if you want a challenge, why go to the best team in the world and be a bit-part player? Why not stay as captain at a rather more unfancied club and lead the team to its first success for nearly seven years?

Perhaps because that’s not really how everyone else at Arsenal sees it?

If Samir Nasri’s comments are true, that he saw Arsenal as a ‘stepping stone’ in his career before a bigger move elsewhere, there’s no reason to think others aren’t thinking the same thing, and going from Wenger’s recent priority of making a profit over winning silverware, then why not?

Sure, Cesc will be surrounded by quality at the Nou Camp, but there is still the expecation to win – every trophy, and every season. Simply winning La Liga and missing out on the Champions League final in 2010 was seen as something of a failure at the club.

Sure, in some respects the challenge here, to bring the team back to the top, is greater because of the team’s slow downfall over the years, but it must be remembered that the downfall has been entirely self-inflicted, because Wenger talks every year about how simply qualifying for the Champions League is an achievement, perhaps more so than winning the Carling or FA Cup.

The club’s new motto should be: It’s the taking part that counts. And that’s certainly now how things are done at Barca.

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I'm 23-years-old and currently living in Bristol, studying to be a journalist. I've been hooked on Arsenal since I was about 10, and as much as I sometimes wish I could stop, I can't give them up. Favourite player of all time would have to be Patrick Vieira for the sheer passion with which he played the game.

  • Alan, 50 years a gooner.

    I think Cesc Fabregas entered the comfort zone when he joined Barcelona. The real challenge would have been to work with the youngsters and the new players that Arsene will undoubtedly bring in.
    He’ll hardly be given any credit if the Catalan club win La Liga again, with him keeping the bench warm most of the time.
    Who are you fooling Cesc?

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    • CharlieGeorge-RayKennedy

      Dont like that fact that he left, and the way it went this summer. But he’s not going to stay in a team with worldclass denilson, almunia, squillaci, and especially a leaking defence when a team like barca wanted him, would he? Would you?

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  • Guest

    When did Fabregas say this? Haven’t seen this anywhere else

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  • Brad

    He never said he wanted a challenge, he said he wanted a “new” challenge, just because there the best team in the world it will still be a great challenge for him, trying to fight of xabi and iniesta is one huge challenge.

    At Arsenal he was the first name on the team sheet and he could play at 75% and still be better than most of our players, yeah it would have been a challenge to stay and try to win a trophy but thats not the one he was looking for.

    I’ll tell you “WHAT TO MAKE OF LATEST FABREGAS COMMENTS”, ef all, hes a Barca boy now and good luck to him, he served us well for 8 years and I wish him all the best.

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  • Mittinp

    you know what i take from this is that he didnt feel motivated to play withite players, and players that couldnt defend leads for shite.  I also take from this that he left because while Arsenal always finished in the top four  they always failed to win anything, primarly because of wenegrs fial poilcy.  The fact that wenger keeps coming out with “weont just want quality, we want SUPER quality”.  That is beyond a joke when he signs squillaci, has djourow, traore,chamack,almuniaetc etc still in the team.  I guess squillaci must be one of those super signings whos added so much to the team.  wenger contradicts himself at every opportunity he can get

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  • Magorawores

    Cesc is definetly into a new challenge getting into the barca team. but i donot doubt his quality in the slightest and in as much as some arsenal fans would love to see him warm the bench, hence prove them right, i doubt barca will afford this. even for spain, cesc has changed games and i think his combination with messi will be the staff of dreams in splitting defences. that boy was born to play football and he will relish his chances. PS – iam an arsenal fan but just for cesc, i will now watch barca as my second love in football – just to see what he can do in a star studded team. the problem for him at arsenal is what other like quality players see, a brilliant football manager who is happy to play second fiddle to bigger teams, just as long as his team is somewhere near the top. RVP said as much when commenting about how arsenal pay their stars. for a world class player to stay at arsenal must be very hard when yu have to partner with third rate players like scuillasci, almunia etc and the manager is content with makeshifts no matter how crucial the games. what happens now, with gibss sidelined for example?? other top clubs would have seen this already and south reinforcements eg loan ins – if yu loan out so many, why not a few in??

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  • Magorawores

    Cesc is definetly into a new challenge getting into the barca team. but i donot doubt his quality in the slightest and in as much as some arsenal fans would love to see him warm the bench, hence prove them right, i doubt barca will afford this. even for spain, cesc has changed games and i think his combination with messi will be the staff of dreams in splitting defences. that boy was born to play football and he will relish his chances. PS – iam an arsenal fan but just for cesc, i will now watch barca as my second love in football – just to see what he can do in a star studded team. the problem for him at arsenal is what other like quality players see, a brilliant football manager who is happy to play second fiddle to bigger teams, just as long as his team is somewhere near the top. RVP said as much when commenting about how arsenal pay their stars. for a world class player to stay at arsenal must be very hard when yu have to partner with third rate players like scuillasci, almunia etc and the manager is content with makeshifts no matter how crucial the games. what happens now, with gibss sidelined for example?? other top clubs would have seen this already and south reinforcements eg loan ins – if yu loan out so many, why not a few in??

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  • Clément

    For Fabregas, i have 2 opinions.

    1- he spent 8 very good years serving Arsenal and i think hé is loyal. No doubt about that. He could have left 2 years ago but the club kept letting him down by not strenghtening the squad. FACT

    2- I did not Like the way he conducted himself this summer. He refused to play for us and informed Barcelona of all his decisions. They knew they will get their man at the end of the day. Damage: 25 millions for him. We paid the price.

    If he had come out and said: whatever happens, i will play for Arsenal if they wish to hold on to me for as long ad possible.
    And then tell wenger that he wants to leave, we would have got 40 millions.

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  • Clément

    For Fabregas, i have 2 opinions.

    1- he spent 8 very good years serving Arsenal and i think hé is loyal. No doubt about that. He could have left 2 years ago but the club kept letting him down by not strenghtening the squad. FACT

    2- I did not Like the way he conducted himself this summer. He refused to play for us and informed Barcelona of all his decisions. They knew they will get their man at the end of the day. Damage: 25 millions for him. We paid the price.

    If he had come out and said: whatever happens, i will play for Arsenal if they wish to hold on to me for as long ad possible.
    And then tell wenger that he wants to leave, we would have got 40 millions.

    GD Star Rating
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  • Clément

    For Fabregas, i have 2 opinions.

    1- he spent 8 very good years serving Arsenal and i think hé is loyal. No doubt about that. He could have left 2 years ago but the club kept letting him down by not strenghtening the squad. FACT

    2- I did not Like the way he conducted himself this summer. He refused to play for us and informed Barcelona of all his decisions. They knew they will get their man at the end of the day. Damage: 25 millions for him. We paid the price.

    If he had come out and said: whatever happens, i will play for Arsenal if they wish to hold on to me for as long ad possible.
    And then tell wenger that he wants to leave, we would have got 40 millions.

    GD Star Rating
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  • Clément

    For Fabregas, i have 2 opinions.

    1- he spent 8 very good years serving Arsenal and i think hé is loyal. No doubt about that. He could have left 2 years ago but the club kept letting him down by not strenghtening the squad. FACT

    2- I did not Like the way he conducted himself this summer. He refused to play for us and informed Barcelona of all his decisions. They knew they will get their man at the end of the day. Damage: 25 millions for him. We paid the price.

    If he had come out and said: whatever happens, i will play for Arsenal if they wish to hold on to me for as long ad possible.
    And then tell wenger that he wants to leave, we would have got 40 millions.

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  • Notoverthehill

    Mark Brus once again shows his inexperience.

    The interview is avaialble in English on the FC Barcelona site. 

    The more interesting was the Fabregas’ comments regarding Mr Wenger, breaking his holiday to sign a 16 year old boy with a “brutal” offer!  Alos thanks to Mr Wenger, Fabregas is now a Barça player.

    Really a complete distortion of the interview by a ”copy boy”? 

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  • Notoverthehill

    Mark Brus once again shows his inexperience.

    The interview is avaialble in English on the FC Barcelona site. 

    The more interesting was the Fabregas’ comments regarding Mr Wenger, breaking his holiday to sign a 16 year old boy with a “brutal” offer!  Alos thanks to Mr Wenger, Fabregas is now a Barça player.

    Really a complete distortion of the interview by a ”copy boy”? 

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  • Notoverthehill

    Mark Brus once again shows his inexperience.

    The interview is avaialble in English on the FC Barcelona site. 

    The more interesting was the Fabregas’ comments regarding Mr Wenger, breaking his holiday to sign a 16 year old boy with a “brutal” offer!  Alos thanks to Mr Wenger, Fabregas is now a Barça player.

    Really a complete distortion of the interview by a ”copy boy”? 

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    • Arsenabout

      I agree mate.

      I am actually quite surprised that he is 22, from his journalism I assumed that he was much younger. I think he is the same chap that dragged down the Arsenal Mania site. To his credit he is a loyal gooner, and that’s worth 10 Man U fans in my book.

      All that I ask Mark to consider is why he is writing? If he wants to be sensational and get hits, then there are far easier ways to do it. But if he really wants to be respected, he should be loyal to sources, accurate and interesting.

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    • Arsenabout

      I agree mate.

      I am actually quite surprised that he is 22, from his journalism I assumed that he was much younger. I think he is the same chap that dragged down the Arsenal Mania site. To his credit he is a loyal gooner, and that’s worth 10 Man U fans in my book.

      All that I ask Mark to consider is why he is writing? If he wants to be sensational and get hits, then there are far easier ways to do it. But if he really wants to be respected, he should be loyal to sources, accurate and interesting.

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  • Notoverthehill

    Mark Brus once again shows his inexperience.

    The interview is avaialble in English on the FC Barcelona site. 

    The more interesting was the Fabregas’ comments regarding Mr Wenger, breaking his holiday to sign a 16 year old boy with a “brutal” offer!  Alos thanks to Mr Wenger, Fabregas is now a Barça player.

    Really a complete distortion of the interview by a ”copy boy”? 

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  • PMAN 30 years a gooner

    I think Fabregas was loyal and still loves us regardless of his comments. You don’t have to look far to understand what he means. for example, We (ARSENAL) made a LOAN bid for Lucho of Marsielle…that says a lot about our ambition.

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  • 123

    I love Cesc. He played great football in Arsenal.

    Good luck Mr Captain !

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  • 123

    I love Cesc. He played great football in Arsenal.

    Good luck Mr Captain !

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  • okunlola Olaniyi Saheed

    whatever anyone likes let them write about Cecs, he was by all standard a loyal servant. Why crucify him without you putting yourself in his shoes, how will you continue to play in a club at his level when their greatest priority is to ramain in the top four and at the expense of the joy of over 30,000,000 Arsenal fans world over, the board goes to a separate corner to share the profit derived from sales of disgruntled players rather than fortify the team. Best of luck DEAR CECS, because of you at Berca I now call myself:
    “A BarcArsnal” fan I hope you all know what that means. Rather than let the love of the club go all out, I have decided to use Barca as that club that brings me joy and Arsenal that which keeps my leasure.

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