5 Premier League stars who can't afford to have a bad season in 2017/18

5) Cesc Fabregas - Chelsea

Can Fabregas get back into the starting lineup for good?

Cesc Fabregas is Chelsea's best playmaker in midfield but he only started 13 games for the champions last season. The Spaniard actually made more substitute appearances for the Blues and managed to make 12 assists.

Antonio Conte's switch to a back three saw one midfielder taken out of the picture as Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses were deployed as the two wing-backs. N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic kept their place in midfield as the creative responsibilities were shunted out wide.

Defensive solidity is the key to Conte's system and Fabregas, so used to having freedom in midfield in recent years, does tend to leave the Blues exposed in midfield when they do not have the ball.

"I feel loved by the fans here," Fabregas said. "Every time I have played, I have shown I can play at the top level in this team, by far."

But Conte's system may not allow him to play 90 minutes consistently unless he evolves into the all-round midfielder he craves in the middle of the park.