Cesc received over 60 per cent of the votes cast in our official
online poll and richly deserves his award after an outstanding
campaign at the heart of the Arsenal midfield.
The Spaniard, still just 20, has earned rave reviews since he burst
onto the Premiership scene as a precocious teenager. But what is
the perception of Fabregas in his home country? We asked Inigo
Gurrachaga of newspaper El Correo for a Spanish perspective of
Arsenal's prized asset.
Read on to find out how Fabregas grabbed the Spanish public's
attention, how he adapted to international football, the reasons
for his popularity and why he's even better than his idol, Pep
Guardiola.
Inigo, when did you first hear about Cesc
Fabregas?
"The first I heard was that he was a Spaniard in the Arsenal youth
team being developed by Arsène Wenger. I had never heard of him
before that and I was curious. Who was this guy? Little bits of
information came out about how he got to Arsenal and suddenly he
exploded into the first team. It is normal now that big clubs bring
players in from academy sides abroad but at the time it was
unusual. In that sense Wenger is a pioneer in European terms. It
was a new phenomenon, now you can see Liverpool have signed a
defender from Bilbao, Tottenham have got someone from the same
club, but Arsenal were probably the first."
Were you surprised to see him doing so well?
"Yes, because there has always been a big question mark about
Spanish players coming to Britain and when Fabregas came the only
Spaniard who was established in the Premiership was Albert Ferrer
at Chelsea. The likes of Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso arrived later
when Rafa Benitez took over at Liverpool. It is difficult for a
Spanish youngster to come to England because the weather is so
different, especially when you have lived somewhere like Barcelona,
and there is a cultural shock to deal with. Some players, like
Josemi at Liverpool, have to go home immediately because they just
can't cope with it. Then you have someone like Fabregas, a clever,
mature teenager who settles quickly. Wenger deserves credit because
he brought Fabregas over when he was very young. That meant the
player could adapt as an academy player instead of having to prove
himself in the Premiership straight away. In a way he was allowed
to become a Londoner before he became a Premiership
footballer."
What is the perception of Fabregas in Spain?
"He is seen as a great guy, pleasant, humble, competitive and doing
fantastically well at Arsenal. That is the Spanish perception of
Fabregas. People appreciate that Fabregas is so young and yet has
shown he is capable of competing abroad. He can actually travel,
unlike some Spanish players. The fact that he has been competitive
in the Premiership and the Champions League says a lot about his
personality and people in Spain like that about him."
How has he adapted to international
football?
"In the last year Fabregas has been the big issue in the Spain
national side. In fact, his rapid progress disrupted the
preparation of the Spain team before the last World Cup because
they already had an established midfield but they knew they
couldn't leave a player like Fabregas out of the squad. There is a
real surplus of talent in Spain's midfield. Fabregas, Xavi, Alonso
and Iniesta have similar elements in their games but everyone
agreed that Fabregas was one of the best players at the last World
Cup. It all depends on the shape the coach wants to play. I think
Alonso is very good, he and Fabregas could player together. David
Albelda is fantastic in a holding role. It is a question of how
they all gel."
What are Fabregas' outstanding qualities?
"I think his vision is something you can't teach. He knows where
the space is, who he can combine with on the pitch. I'm surprised
by how much stamina he has too, that is very important to his game
and has helped him adapt to the Premiership. He is small but he is
not a delicate player, he covers the whole pitch and is not
reluctant to get in and tackle. When someone tries to intimidate
him he stands up to them. His mentality, touch and distribution are
all excellent but the prevailing thing for me is how Fabregas can
see through a defence and see where the combinations and one-twos
are possible. He can pace himself and pace a match, but the vision
of football in his brain is the most outstanding thing and it's
most unusual for such a young player."
Can he have the same impact on the Premiership as Patrick
Vieira did?
"Vieira had overwhelming power, especially alongside Petit, and I
don't see Fabregas dominating the Premiership in the way Vieira and
Roy Keane did, because he does not have that immense physical
strength. The biggest rival to Fabregas is Michael Essien. He is
probably better than Essien in terms of looking for forward
positions and playing one-twos, whereas Essien just runs with sheer
force. Fabregas has the capacity to score 12 or 15 goals a season,
he has a good shot on him and looks for opportunities in and around
the box. He was a bit tentative last season at times but the
growing sense of security in his game will change that."
How will Thierry Henry's departure affect Fabregas'
game?
"To lose Henry is to lose that goal against Blackburn at Ewood Park
when they combined so well on the left. The combination of the two,
their understanding, and the admiration Fabregas felt for Henry
made it a very good partnership. Now Henry has gone and that will
change the way Fabregas plays because his instinct was to look for
Henry when he received the ball. It depends who comes in to replace
Henry but the great thing about Fabregas is that he is such a
clever guy, he has a fantastic football brain, and he will
immediately try to understand how others play. He will develop
other great partnerships with other team-mates."
Pep Guardiola was Fabregas' idol as a boy. Are there
similarities in their style of play?
"Guardiola was his idol but I think Fabregas is better. Guardiola
was such an elegant player, he was wonderful to watch. He played in
the position of Claude Makelele although he did not have the same
immense power for recovering the ball. Guardiola always made
himself available for the defence and always found a team-mate. But
I think Fabregas has more qualities. He can do that role but has
more attacking power, more mobility. He doesn't give possession
away either but Guardiola needed 'escorting' by two players in
front of him while he did his job in a deeper position. For a
Catalan boy like Fabregas, growing up in Barcelona, Guardiola was a
perfect role model. He was a ball boy at the Nou Camp, just walking
around watching the senior players, and then he came into the team
and played beautifully, helping Barca to win their first European
Cup when they beat Sampdoria at Wembley. Guardiola is very easy to
identity with when you are a child from Barcelona who aspires to
play."
