Fabregas: Football has become less about talent and more about 'running a lot'
Cesc Fabregas has asserted that “talented” players are becoming increasingly marginalised in the modern game, with fitter, faster and more powerful players being preferred across 90 minutes.
There is no doubting the Spaniard's natural flair on the ball, with Cesc having enjoyed a stellar career with Arsenal, Barcelona and now Chelsea, but he hasn't for a while been a guaranteed starter.
Instead, Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante are preferred by Antonio Conte in the centre of the pitch; two players whose defensive capabilities mean the Spaniard is used sparingly at Stamford Bridge.
And Fabregas has both lamented and reacted positively to the trend, suggesting it makes him work harder as a player.
“Today it’s more difficult for the more talented players to succeed,” he told Chelsea TV.
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“I don’t think my physical abilities are the best – I’m not the quickest, I’m not the strongest, I’m not the sharpest, so you have to be ahead of the game if a player like me wants to succeed in football.
“To be a football player today... if you are very strong or you run a lot or stuff like that it’s easier. That’s why I try to get even better because football is growing in a way that before I don’t think it was.
“Everyday you see less talent and more power and players running around.”