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CL Debate: ‘Schoolboy’ Jibe Suggests Fabregas Is Running Out Of Patience With Arsenal
Hapless performance against Porto could drive out Gunners' head boy.
Feb 18, 2010 3:00:00 AM
By Matthew Weiner
PORTO, Portugal- "Schoolboy’s goal, what can you do? Nothing, nothing to complain [about].” That was Cesc Fabregas’s no nonsense verdict following Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat away to Porto in the Champions League.
With Cesc Fabregas reacting so angrily to the two amateurish goals conceded by the Gunners - whether he admits it or not - alarm bells must have started ringing in Arsene Wenger’s head
Usually the Arsenal skipper is ever the diplomat, so when the young Spaniard is critical of his team-mates, you have to wonder how much longer he is prepared to go without silverware.
Having sampled the taste of victory with Spain at Euro 2008, Fabregas is clearly hungry for more and deservedly so. But already the Gunners’ Premier League campaign is hanging by a thread. If Arsenal now go out of the Champions League to Porto – as they will do if they continue to defend like they did at the Estadio do Dragao - then their captain may start looking for the door.
Of course, the Spanish international won’t have to look far to find the exit. At least, that is if you believe the Barcelona press. The local newspaper Sport, the unofficial mouthpiece of Los Cules, runs a story just about every week about how their prodigal son, snatched so cruelly from them at a tender age, now craves or has already agreed a return.
Fabregas, to his credit, never fails to deny these stories. A more faithful captain a club couldn’t ask for. Which is why, when he speaks out of turn - when he implies criticism of his team-mates - you have to wonder what’s going through the player’s head.
Even the most one-eyed Gooner would admit that the day will eventually come when their talismanic No.4 will decide to leave. If his development as a player continues in the same meteoric fashion - while the club threatens to move in the opposite direction - eventually their two paths must diverge.
After all, Arsenal have got previous experience when it comes to letting world class captains leave. Thierry Henry’s departure to Barcelona was immediately preceded by a season in which he scowled around the Emirates pitch, barking at colleagues he deemed not to be up to the task. If that’s where Cesc’s head is heading – and this outburst suggests it could be – then it may be bad news for Arsenal. The fact that the midfielder shares an agent with Henry won’t hinder his chances of making that mirror image transfer, either.
And this is now Wenger's dilemma. He will play close philosophical and psychological attention to Cesc's almost innocuous comment in order to determine what triggered it - why now - and what it means for his team's dynamic. Maybe - and it's a big maybe - if he begins to feel that Cesc's status is starting to inhibit the growth of the team, and the Barca offer is as big as the €50 million the Catalan press would have us all believe, Wenger will sign off on the transfer and start all over again.
But that’s not to say this is in any way a done deal - despite rumors to the contrary - and nor does it mean Arsene Wenger in any way wants it to be. Fabregas has proved himself to be a hard-working, committed character who clearly harbors a deep love for Arsenal – or at least Arsene Wenger. Between the club and the manager (and they are virtually indistinguishable these days), they made Cesc the remarkable player he is today and he is keen to continue to repay that faith.
Furthermore, the Gunners may be down right now, but they are most certainly not out. Whereas the league would take a Lazarus-like comeback, for considerable chunks of time they looked like their old dominating selves against Porto. And taking an away goal back to the Emirates is far from a disaster.
It won't take miraculous success to keep Cesc onside, but at least a ray of hope and continued signs of improvement are a must. A solid third place and punching above their weight in Europe could quite conceivably prove enough for him to maintain his faith and make sure he and Arsenal stay together. For the kids.
For the latest news and updates from Goal.com, follow our Twitter account!
With Cesc Fabregas reacting so angrily to the two amateurish goals conceded by the Gunners - whether he admits it or not - alarm bells must have started ringing in Arsene Wenger’s head
Usually the Arsenal skipper is ever the diplomat, so when the young Spaniard is critical of his team-mates, you have to wonder how much longer he is prepared to go without silverware.
Having sampled the taste of victory with Spain at Euro 2008, Fabregas is clearly hungry for more and deservedly so. But already the Gunners’ Premier League campaign is hanging by a thread. If Arsenal now go out of the Champions League to Porto – as they will do if they continue to defend like they did at the Estadio do Dragao - then their captain may start looking for the door.
Of course, the Spanish international won’t have to look far to find the exit. At least, that is if you believe the Barcelona press. The local newspaper Sport, the unofficial mouthpiece of Los Cules, runs a story just about every week about how their prodigal son, snatched so cruelly from them at a tender age, now craves or has already agreed a return.
Fabregas, to his credit, never fails to deny these stories. A more faithful captain a club couldn’t ask for. Which is why, when he speaks out of turn - when he implies criticism of his team-mates - you have to wonder what’s going through the player’s head.
Even the most one-eyed Gooner would admit that the day will eventually come when their talismanic No.4 will decide to leave. If his development as a player continues in the same meteoric fashion - while the club threatens to move in the opposite direction - eventually their two paths must diverge.
Stunned | Arsenal stars after going 2-1 down
After all, Arsenal have got previous experience when it comes to letting world class captains leave. Thierry Henry’s departure to Barcelona was immediately preceded by a season in which he scowled around the Emirates pitch, barking at colleagues he deemed not to be up to the task. If that’s where Cesc’s head is heading – and this outburst suggests it could be – then it may be bad news for Arsenal. The fact that the midfielder shares an agent with Henry won’t hinder his chances of making that mirror image transfer, either.
And this is now Wenger's dilemma. He will play close philosophical and psychological attention to Cesc's almost innocuous comment in order to determine what triggered it - why now - and what it means for his team's dynamic. Maybe - and it's a big maybe - if he begins to feel that Cesc's status is starting to inhibit the growth of the team, and the Barca offer is as big as the €50 million the Catalan press would have us all believe, Wenger will sign off on the transfer and start all over again.
But that’s not to say this is in any way a done deal - despite rumors to the contrary - and nor does it mean Arsene Wenger in any way wants it to be. Fabregas has proved himself to be a hard-working, committed character who clearly harbors a deep love for Arsenal – or at least Arsene Wenger. Between the club and the manager (and they are virtually indistinguishable these days), they made Cesc the remarkable player he is today and he is keen to continue to repay that faith.
Furthermore, the Gunners may be down right now, but they are most certainly not out. Whereas the league would take a Lazarus-like comeback, for considerable chunks of time they looked like their old dominating selves against Porto. And taking an away goal back to the Emirates is far from a disaster.
It won't take miraculous success to keep Cesc onside, but at least a ray of hope and continued signs of improvement are a must. A solid third place and punching above their weight in Europe could quite conceivably prove enough for him to maintain his faith and make sure he and Arsenal stay together. For the kids.
For the latest news and updates from Goal.com, follow our Twitter account!
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