From 'Rats' to Saviours: Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas Are Carrying Chelsea
STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON — In December, they were labelled as the "rats" who had helped bring the curtain down on Jose Mourinho's reign as manager. Now, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas are proving Chelsea’s saviours.
The pair have turned the Pied Piper fairy tale on its head. It’s their merry tune that has got those at Stamford Bridge following them in their droves.
They were at it again on Saturday, helping their team claw back from the dead against Everton.
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John Terry completed a sensational comeback when he scored with virtually the last kick of the game to make it 3-3. It was Costa and Fabregas who had given Chelsea the platform to doing it with their roles in those earlier two goals, though.
First, it was Fabregas assisting Costa with a delicious long ball before the latter returned the favour with a cheeky flick that set Fabregas up for his shot that deflected in off John Stones.
That made it 2-2 when 10 minutes earlier Chelsea had been two goals down to the Toffees in a game full of incident and drama.
It’s important we don’t get carried away with another draw at Stamford Bridge.
If the manner of Wednesday's draw with West Bromwich Albion shouldn't have deflated Chelsea, the dramatic circumstances surrounding their taking a point from Everton shouldn't be heralded as some sort of game-changer.
It’s true in part, yet it is equally taking the wrong perspective. Save for those five minutes of brilliance on the hour that clawed them back into the game, this was another pedestrian display in a disappointing season.
Drawing 3-3 in the way they did doesn’t change that. Nor should it.
The focus here needs to be Costa and Fabregas. They've rightly been criticised at various stages this term for being well below par. Now this team has needed them to show up, they have and are.
The symbolism behind Costa’s goal that halved Everton’s lead shouldn't be lost, even if the sense of romanticism that surrounds it is somewhat contrived.
It epitomised what he’s done this past month—chasing the lost cause that is Chelsea’s season.
Since Mourinho departed on Dec. 17, Costa has scored five goals in six games. That’s doubled his return for the entire season in all competitions, bringing him back to the sort of goalscoring form that won Chelsea the Premier League last year.
If he remains in this type of form, it won't be long before these draws of the past week are turned into victories.
Indeed, it's the frailties elsewhere that are costing Chelsea right now—notably a soft underbelly in central midfield and the panic that ensues at the back whenever teams attack them.
From the front, however, Costa is leading. His goal was slightly fortunate on Saturday given how Phil Jagielka and Tim Howard completely fluffed their lines to allow him to nip in between them and fire home into an empty net.
Fortunate it was, but it was certainly not lucky. Costa made it happen by showing the sort of desire this Chelsea team is craving. Jagielka had yards on him to cut out Fabregas' pass, but he still chased it down despite the odds being stacked against him.
He hadn't given up, and the fact he got his reward with the goal showed the rest of his team-mates they shouldn't be checking out of their fights any time soon, either.
Reaching the top four this season is much like Costa chasing down that through ball. All the teams above them have yards on the Premier League champions, and with each game they drop points, the task is looking less likely than it had at kick-off.
They must show the same desire Costa did to change that. It's not luck that will get them there; it's simple endeavour (with a little mathematics thrown into the mix).
When that effort is coupled with Fabregas' brilliance, Chelsea can be a team that achieves something again.
The Spaniard is still to rediscover his lethal best for Chelsea this term, yet when we witness him executing the sort of deliveries he did against Everton, it hints he is not too far off.
Since the Sunderland victory in late December, the feeling has been he's getting back to the Fabregas we know. Now he needs to discover some consistency to make it really work.
It's down to Guus Hiddink to identify what will. Since he took charge just before Christmas, Chelsea haven't lost a game, which is progress in itself despite the fact the Blues are still dangerously close to the relegation zone, six points clear in 14th.
He's calmed the situation down, but the manager must address how he's going to get the best out of these players consistently—notably Fabregas. Only then can Chelsea begin to look forward.
A change of system might help to shore up those troublesome midfield areas where the 4-2-3-1 used by Mourinho is looking dated with this team. Deploying his attacking midfielders in another formation would also refresh Chelsea's threat in the final third.
To return to that unfortunate "rats" label, it sort of remains apt with Fabregas and Costa, yet not in the way one would think.
Rather than abandoning a sinking ship, the duo are showing signs of rescuing it. On Saturday, they certainly kept Chelsea's heads above water. Just.
If the rest of their team-mates respond in the manner Terry did, things will look a whole lot different at Stamford Bridge.
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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