Is It Time for Antonio Conte to Bring Cesc Fabregas in from the Cold?

STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON — It wasn't just his team on good form against Chelsea on Friday night; Jurgen Klopp was too.

"That's a nice last question," he quipped with a big smile, before exiting the Stamford Bridge press room. "Goodnight." It was a question about Cesc Fabregas that had seen Klopp bail. Never one for getting dragged into that side of football, the Liverpool boss wasn't going to allow himself to slip into bad habits by talking about another team's player regardless of his own side's 2-1 victory.

The question put to Klopp—by Bleacher Report, we should add, as we're not hiding here—wasn't aimed at tempting him to make disparaging comments about Antonio Conte's team selection or the benefits to Chelsea playing without Fabregas in the lineup. It was more an observation on how the game had gone that night for the Blues; they lacked control in central areas—the sort of control Fabregas brings.

So when Liverpool were able to be so effective and play so much football in Chelsea's half, it was a question about whether the absence of Fabregas allowed them to do just that.

The way Conte's team was set up, sitting so deep at times, was perfect for a counter-attack to exploit Liverpool's lack of numbers at the back. The problem was that for every darting run Diego Costa made to get in behind the defenders, the pass into him was never accurate enough.

Chelsea struggled to turn centre-backs Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip. Whenever they did, it was often in Liverpool's half, when Simon Mignolet was able to claim back possession inside his own box. Without Fabregas firing those pin-point passes, Chelsea's game plan wasn't effective. And they were punished for it; the ball kept coming back at them, and they couldn't win the territorial battle.

Klopp's thoughts on that would have provided some insight as to how it helped Liverpool play, if at all. When Fabregas was introduced into the game—in the 84th minute in place of Nemanja Matic—Liverpool's defensive line dropped significantly.

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From trying to pressure Chelsea higher up and keep them clear of their own goal, the sight of Fabregas and a clock that was ticking down led Liverpool to camp inside their own half much more. The Spain international was looking for the openings, but with 11 men behind the ball, they were difficult to find. It was all rushed and balls played more in hope than with a definite logic.

Would Klopp have played differently had it been Matic on the bench and not Fabregas? Would Chelsea have been pinned back as much as they were in the first half? We're not sure, and Klopp didn't do us any favours by politely refusing to comment. Cheers, Jurgen.

Still, that feeling of Chelsea missing out and the way they did has stirred the pot where Fabregas is concerned. On the occasions he has featured this season, the Spaniard has made a marked difference to Chelsea's attacking play. Against Watford, he assisted Costa for the game's winner with a glorious bit of football. In the recent 2-2 draw with Swansea City, it was Fabregas' dinked pass that led to Costa's equaliser.

It's clear why Conte hasn't been starting with him. The Chelsea boss requires something different from his three central midfielders to what Fabregas offers. With N'Golo Kante in defensive midfield, Conte needs Oscar and Matic to be the ball-winners further forward, and that requires a more physical intensity. It's from there that Chelsea have been creating their dominance in matches.

Against Liverpool, it was different. Chelsea were playing a team wanting to play as much as they did, meaning it required something different. The Blues weren't going to have as much of the ball as they had in recent outings, so they needed to be more efficient and recycle it better against the Merseyside outfit. They didn't.

So with Leicester City, Arsenal and Manchester United making up three of their next four opponents in the Premier League, perhaps the time has come for Fabregas to start matches again.

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Against all three of those sides, Chelsea must be clinical. They need to pick out Costa much more than they did against Liverpool in order to turn the tide and apply pressure elsewhere. The opportunities to win the ball in the final third aren't going to be the same as they were against Burnley or Watford; they need to do more to win against a better level of opponent.

"Cesc is in my plans and in Chelsea's plans," Conte said ahead of Liverpool's visit to west London. "In my opinion, he's improving a lot in many aspects—above all, the defensive situations. If he continues in this way, it'll be very difficult for me to choose my midfield."

The way the game developed against Liverpool, Conte's had his hand forced here. It wasn't so much what Fabregas did when he came on but more the pattern of play without him.

"I'm very clear with my players: When a player deserves to play, I put him in the team," Conte added.

Fabregas doesn't deserve to play for Chelsea—he simply has to in the coming weeks. United and Arsenal especially will try to do what Liverpool did. It won't mean an exact replica of Klopp's plan, but they'll be searching for dominance, and controlling the game will be a big part of it.

Until Friday, Chelsea's opponents were happy to stand off them. The Blues had to go out and win those matches, which is why the midfield combinations Conte selected worked.

The Oscar-Matic-Kante trio isn't dynamic enough against better opponents, though. Removing one for Cesc would make it more so. It would give the Blues the creative edge they require, sacrificing a physical element in the name of something more refined.

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In some ways, Fabregas' ability to manipulate the ball is also his greatest weakness. He can only play one way, and Conte has acknowledged that by not using him in the early part of the campaign. It's when Chelsea have needed something extra that he's been introduced and made the difference.

In the next month or so, Chelsea need just that—something extra. They need Fabregas back.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.