Fàbregas talks Chelsea contract extension, bad results and how to overcome them

Having turned 30 years of age back in May, Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas now falls under Chelsea’s infamous one-year-contracts-only policy, which means he will only be offered one-year deals by the club until the end of his tenure at Cobham — a similar situation that legends such as John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic went through as well recently.

“Would I like to renew? Yes, because it is a club that has always treated me well. I believe the fans have a lot of respect for me and I have a lot of respect for them. I have given my all for the club for the last three-and-a-half years.”

“This is a fantastic club for me and I have had a fantastic time here. Hopefully another contract will happen. Time will tell.”

“I know that people panic after players reach 30 and stuff like that, but I don’t believe in this. I feel well, I feel young in my mind. I train every day as hard as possible. I think in the last 48 games I have played in 47, and I only missed one because I was suspended against Tottenham in August.“

“I always try to give my best. I will play at any moment, even when I’m sick or not 100 per cent.”

-Cesc Fàbregas; Source: London Evening Standard

Unfortunately for Cesc, he still has 18 months left on his current deal, which means he won’t be eligible for a new contract until next season. Still, with the way he’s going, especially now that he might not have to play every game with the improving health and depth of the squad, he should be able to keep this up for several more years.

In more immediate matters, there’s this season and the need to avoid another “Mourinho Season” as in the last time we were defending champions.

Cesc has of course seen, won, and experienced just about everything there is at the top level of football, so he’s not one to be discouraged by Chelsea’s current position.

“There is no need to panic. This season can definitely be a success. The situation is not terrible. We are in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and are second in a Champions League group that has Roma and Atletico Madrid in it — two teams that many were fearing.”

“We are only four points behind Manchester United in the league. OK, Manchester City are nine points clear of us, but we were in the same position last year [when the gap to City was eight at the end of September 2016].”

“I know that maybe people don’t share this, but we are not in a bad predicament. November has only just started. Yes, we could be better in the Premier League, 100 per cent. The Champions League, too. But if we knew in July that we’d be in this situation today, I don’t think we’d regard it as horrible. It’s just one we can and must improve on.”

That’s certainly a positive spin on Chelsea’s situation, and a refreshing change from most of the rest of the coverage. That’s not to say that the Blues don’t have plenty of room for improvement.

“There is a need to be more consistent in our performances. Everything started in pre-season, when we lost the Community Shield against Arsenal. We were winning, then Pedro was sent off and they scored from a set-piece.”

“A week later, there was our first league game against Burnley, where until Gary Cahill was sent off I had a feeling that we would win that match for sure. Another league defeat came later on against Crystal Palace, where the team didn’t perform at the level that was required. But even then, I watched the highlights and we had so many opportunities.”

“So, this is already two matches that you normally expect to win. That is six points we could have had if we had played better.”

“We just have to make sure that games like the one against Crystal Palace, or in the second half against Roma, don’t happen again. If we lose, it should only be because the other team has really performed better than us and that we know we gave everything.”

But words are just words.

Now we need action.

“There is no better way for us to start a new phase than having to play a big game. We know we have to perform at the highest level. A game against Manchester United requires you to be at the very, very top.”

“We know we are going to be under pressure in front of our fans, but in a good way. We don’t have to be afraid of the situation, we want to achieve the three points.”

-Cesc Fàbregas; Source: London Standard Evening

So say we all.

More Fàbregas goodness in this interview with Gary Lineker for the BBC’s The Premier League Show.