Cesc Fabregas Is the Success Story of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea Revolution
Cesc Fabregas' comments after Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday were telling.
Speaking to Match of the Day, the smile that beamed across the Spaniard's face was all the confirmation we needed that he's happy with his decision in moving to Stamford Bridge last summer.
Like the rest of us, Fabregas knows the Premier League title is all but wrapped up now.
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"We want to give satisfaction to the supporters," he said. "It’s been five years for them without winning the Premier League title; for me it’s been 27 years."
Fabregas may have been joking about how long it's taken him to get his hands on the Premier League trophy, but there is a serious point behind it.
At Arsenal, he came close on a few occasions, but then all that promise of Arsene Wenger's side soon turned into frustration as the big names at the Emirates Stadium started looking elsewhere for their success.
Former Arsenal stars who have departed and won English club football's greatest prize include Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Robin van Persie. Now Fabregas is almost there.
That Fabregas is set to achieve it with a manager who is the antithesis of those he has worked under at Arsenal and Barcelona is the remarkable part.
Indeed, convincing Fabregas to buy into his philosophy is Jose Mourinho's greatest triumph at Chelsea this season. It's helped everything else fall into place.
After all, Fabregas is a child of the tiki-taka age. Arsenal deployed a similar possession-based game, and while at Barcelona, Fabregas' trophy cabinet bulged on the back of it.
That's all changed now, though.
The possession stats on Saturday told a significant story. Chelsea, playing at home, had just 30 per cent of the ball, giving United total domination in that area.
It was all part of a carefully constructed game plan from the manager, however, and with the game ending 1-0, it was a plan that was executed to perfection by the Chelsea players.
"It was difficult, but less than you think. We prepared for it to be like this. It was the game we wanted and expected," Mourinho explained to BBC Sport.
"[United] were in our pockets."
Fabregas' display was unlike what we have seen from him at Chelsea this season. In fact, ever.
He's used to playing on the front foot, taking games to his opponent and dictating how it will be played out. Against United, it was about being patient, surrendering possession and waiting for those mistakes that Mourinho was convinced would come.
For a player with Fabregas' upbringing, it must have been difficult. He's been taught to win watches with the ball, not without it.
So much so, here is a player who infamously confronted Mark Hughes—then Blackburn Rovers manager—in 2007 about his team's defensive style of play after a goalless draw in an FA Cup match at the Emirates.
"When we shook hands at the end, the young man asked me a question which I thought was disrespectful," Hughes explained at the time, per The Telegraph.
"He asked me if I had played for Barcelona and when I said yes, he shook his head as if in disbelief. Then he said, 'Well, that wasn't Barcelona football'."
It wasn't, but then it was just as effective, giving Blackburn the outcome they wanted.
Fabregas was just 19 years old at the time, so in the eight years since, he has no doubt matured.
That incident outlines his beliefs, though. It shows, regardless of his youth, that the traditions of his boyhood club Barcelona are firmly ingrained in his footballing philosophy.
And yet Mourinho has done enough to convince Fabregas that there is another way to winning; a way that, when needs must, every team shouldn't be embarrassed to adopt.
Just like Blackburn weren't ashamed in 2007.
"It was a good performance and a good win. When you win it’s always a job well done, especially against Man United," Fabregas told the Chelsea website after Saturday's victory.
"We know we couldn’t afford to lose because they are behind us and we didn’t want to give them hope."
Too often it was the opposite for Fabregas at Arsenal. Whether it be tactical naivety or a refusal to budge from his principles, Wenger threw away titles.
Arsenal always stayed true to a belief in their style and when it came to the biggest games, that style let them down. They didn't adapt enough and paid the ultimate price.
Sitting 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League, Mourinho is showing Fabregas that pragmatism is a valid currency in football.
It's by no means a formula that will always deliver, yet it's one that holds significant value.
Chelsea didn't set out to win on Saturday. Mourinho's plan was not to lose for the very reasons Fabregas himself explained.
More important than three points at Stamford Bridge was killing United's faint title hopes, which Chelsea more than achieved.
They did that by being organised, they were resilient and proved to be the ultimate poachers.
It wasn't Barcelona-eqsue; it wasn't Arsenal, either. What it was, however, was effective.
Fabregas knows that and when he lifts the Premier League trophy in a few weeks, the 27-year wait will be over.
Mourinho's philosophy would have won.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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