Chelsea Wise to Take No Risks with Cesc Fabregas Ahead of Champions League
Cesc Fabregas is likely to miss Chelsea's next two Premier League games.
According to Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail, Chelsea's Spanish midfielder is still struggling with a hamstring strain that ruled him out of last weekend's draw with Manchester City. It could mean that he misses this weekend's trip to Aston Villa and the midweek home game with Everton, too.
Chelsea have bigger fish to fry, however. Notably, Paris Saint-Germain.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Will Fabregas be missed against Villa and Everton? Of course he will. But can Chelsea win those games without him? They can.
Where Chelsea's priorities lie in the next fortnight or so are in the Champions League, where they know one slip-up will see them exiting the competition prematurely.
Chelsea cannot afford to be making the same mistakes against opposition who almost ended their European hopes last season.
To help avoid that, they need Fabregas fully fit. If that means he isn't risked in their next two matches, manager Jose Mourinho will do well to rest him.
At the Parc des Princes last April, Chelsea proved the masters of their own downfall—dominating the game against the Ligue 1 champions before some sloppy mistakes gave Laurent Blanc's men the impetus to win the game 3-1.
They lacked composure—that know-how to close out a major European tie.
"Once bitten, twice shy," is the saying, and Mourinho needs to be steering clear of such conundrums this time out.
Where PSG failed last season is that they didn't punish Chelsea when they had the chance. They let them off the hook.
Edinson Cavani was guilty of missing some gilt-edged chances in the return leg at Stamford Bridge, leaving the door open for Demba Ba to produce his bit of magic at the death.
That Chelsea were able to capitalise was luck more than anything, but that will only get you so far.
Unlike last season, Chelsea have serious ambitions of being crowned European champions, and with that, they cannot be putting things to chance in the same way.
It's why they signed Fabregas last summer, after all.
Indeed, Diego Costa was another addition to ensure Chelsea have enough craft to get through the biggest games when it matters.
The pair have been incredibly influential, and when they were missing against City on Saturday—Costa serving the first game of his three-match suspension—it told.
That game was made for Fabregas and Costa, but without them, Chelsea struggled. The Blues were leggy after a two-hour bout with Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi-final, and missing their deadly duo didn't help.
Mourinho's team lacked a real presence upfront, with Fabregas' absence further back meaning they lacked their usual rhythm.
For all of the assists the Spaniard has racked up this season, it's the way he has controlled games from deep that has impressed most.
No longer can teams settle for sitting deep, leaving Chelsea to play in front of them. Fabregas allows Chelsea to play around opponents these days and, if it ever gets that drastic, through them.
Chelsea learned last season that scrapping can only get you so far. Eventually, you'll need that something extra to make the difference—that deft pass or vision that Fabregas gives.
Travelling to Paris in just under two weeks, Chelsea cannot be expected to just scrap it out with Ramires and Nemanja Matic in the middle of the park. PSG may be off colour in domestic competition, yet even they are too good when it comes to getting past plucky opponents.
Mourinho's side will be found out.
With a five-point cushion in the league, Chelsea are strong. Facing PSG is a return to cup football and nothing can be left to chance.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
