Cesc Fabregas Denies Leading Alleged Chelsea Revolt Against Jose Mourinho

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has vehemently denied claims that he is leading a dressing room mutiny against the club’s manager Jose Mourinho.

A report from The Secret Footballer on Monday had claimed the Spanish international is the driving force behind a “mini-revolt” behind closed doors at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues losing six of their last 11 games. But Fabregas took to Twitter on Tuesday to deny this is the case:

Whether or not these reports are to be believed, there’s clearly something not quite right at Stamford Bridge, with an unnamed player telling BBC Radio 5 Live they’d “rather lose than win” for Mourinho at the moment.

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Chelsea have been awful in the opening weeks of the Premier League season, with the players well short of the stellar standards they showcased in winning the title last term. There’s no cohesion, no creativity and most worrying of all, a major scarcity of commitment in their displays.

Fabregas is the player whose form has tailed off most drastically in the squad and he was dropped for the loss to Liverpool. As noted by sports journalist Rafael Hernandez, the lack of intensity in some of the former Barcelona man’s displays in the early weeks of this season has been staggering:

A team is a reflection of their manager, though, and in Mourinho, Chelsea have a figurehead that’s lacked direction and discipline. Per Sky Sports, the Portuguese was hit with more punishment by the Football Association on Monday—including a one-game stadium ban—this time due to his conduct during the 2-1 defeat away at West Ham United.

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Already this season there have been a string of incidents that have cast Mourinho in a bad light, perhaps most notably the manner in which he handled former club doctor Eva Carneiro. According to the Press Association (h/t the Guardian) the departed doctor, who the Portuguese branded “impulsive and naive,” is to pursue an individual lawsuit against the Chelsea boss.

According to the Secret Footballer, it’s an incident which has turned a lot of the players against Mourinho: “Fearn and Carniero are totally respected by the playing staff and Mourinho has made a massive mistake in trying to make his point at the expense of two members of staff who were just doing their job and are seen as an easy touch.”

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As for Fabregas, if he is fully unified behind the manager, the best way to show this is the case would be by turning in some much stronger performances on the field. Indeed, following a blistering beginning to the 2014-15 season, throughout the majority of 2015, the former Arsenal man has been poor.

However, as noted by Sport Witness, the report suggesting Cesc is the leader of a revolt does seem isolated and at odds with other outlets:

For as long as the Chelsea slump goes on, these types of story will continue to emerge. At the moment, the Blues are not showing any kind of unity on the field, so it’s easy to suggest there is discontent. A desire to win football matches, which was so evident in 2014-15, has to return.

As a senior player, and a man with a reputation as one of the best midfield players in the world, Fabregas is the type of character who can expedite a return to form. It’ll certainly be intriguing to see whether or not, in the wake of these reports, Mourinho affords him the license to do so.