The Cesc saga: ‘Which’ Fabregas is Moyes looking for?

While the 2013 transfer market is witnessing supposed moves of big names likes Wayne Rooney, Higuain, Jovetic and Cavani, these are being termed as major ’transfer sagas’ in the making by the press. But by the true definition of the word, a ‘saga’ brings just one particular transfer from recent times to my mind: the long, drawn-out affair of influential Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas’s move to Barcelona. As many Arsenal fans will vehemently point out the cheap tricks used by the Catalans via Xavi and Puyol’s public statements, in totality it was the player’s interest in joining his boyhood club headed by his boyhood hero that tilted the transfer away from Arsenal.

Fabregas at Barca seemed like a match made in heaven, as it came at the same time at which Pep Guardiola started insisting on filling all the positions on the pitch with midfielders, claiming them to be a more mature breed. After 2 seasons which saw mixed fortunes in the League and no joy at all in Europe, the relationship between Cesc and the club now managed by Tito Vilanova doesn’t seem too rosy now. With further statements by the VP regarding the move being dependent on the player’s mindset, there are suddenly many suitors for the 26-year-old midfielder’s signature.

And easily the biggest suitor in this regard is the David Moyes-led Manchester United. Though there has been no official bid yet with Cesc saying that he is not unhappy at Barca, Dennis Irwin, the man who was the first to announce RVP’s move last summer, has said that United have made Cesc their top target and are ready to offer upto 47 million euros. There are some contradicting factors that come to mind here, apart from the fact that Fabregas has “Barca in his blood”. Over the past 2 years, Cesc has stated on more than one occasion that the only other club he will join in his life would be Arsenal, and this makes his joining a direct rival a highly improbable option, and a better one would be joining another potential suitor in Bayern Munich. Mentioning the Champions of Europe, Pep Guardiola’s presence there makes matters complicated, as based on Fabregas’s history, his decisions are often based on the management at the club. Be it his time at Arsenal where he was extremely loyal to Wenger, or his move to Barca which was biased due to his hero Pep; the recent Ferguson retirement now seems to have made Cesc’s supposed move to a Moyes-led Man United even more improbable.

All this speculation regarding David Moyes’s transfer plans emerges directly from the tactics that the Scotsman is renowned for. After 8 years of insisting on attacking wing-play and a powerful duo at the centre of the park, Moyes’ arrival at Old Trafford fueled reports that he will be installing a 2^nd prominent force next to Michael Carrick in midfield. The current reports have mainly been concentrated on 3 names: Thiago and Fabregas from Barca and Cabaye from Newcastle. The 3^rd option of Cabaye has been an avenue that had interested Ferguson earlier too, and from the moulds of the above mentioned trio, Moyes is looking for a force to surge ahead from ‘the Carrick zone’ and connect with the 4 attackers upfront.

An aspect that is not going to change at United due to Moyes’ arrival would be the shape upfront. Unlike teams like Arsenal and Chelsea who prefer playing 3 attackers with a midfield 3; United have always shown a tendency to attack with a centre-forward and a striker, along with 2 out-and-out wingers providing the crosses. Moyes has had a history of preferring this shape via the duo of Anichebe and Jelavic or Anichebe and Fellaini, although most of his wing-play was via his fullbacks rather than wingers. So now stands the question of where Cesc Fabregas fits into this system, considering him to be the most attractive option from the 3.

Fabregas has already been in the limelight of Europe for 10 years even though he is only 26, and the Spanish international could easily be listed as the player to have been played in the most varied of roles. Right from when the 16-yea-old was played as part of the central duo with Gilberto in a 4-4-2 under Wenger, Cesc’s performances had started to create a spot for himself, which has led to major changes in shapes around him.

With the departures of Viera and Bergkamp, Wenger shifted to a 4-3-3 with Fabregas being given the free-role at the tip of the midfield trio. And with 3 strikers playing ahead of him, his creativity and vision were tested at its best. But then Cesc has never been renowned for his defensive duties. Though he is often seen energetically tracking back and covering opponents in his half, Fabregas’s awareness of runs made by opponents at the centre of the park is not always the best; pretty similar to the flaw in Rafa van der Vaart’s game. This made Wenger shift to a 4-2-3-1 with Fabregas at the centre of the attacking trio, and the other 2 alongside him also not so high up in attack. This saw the likes of Nasri and Arshavin slot into the positions besides him, and this shape saw Cesc at his very best for Arsenal.

His shift to Barca might have seen him getting much more goals than what his tally was in North London, but his struggle to fit-in was clearly visible. In a statement that made matter clear, Cesc said that the game at the Nou Camp was much more about his tactical positioning and movement with the team, which, when compared to his free role at Arsenal, demanded much more patience than blindly pushing forward in attack. This new role saw him slot in next to Leo Messi upfront and he kept switching with the Argentine in the false-9 role. The goal tally was a direct outcome of the immense talent that the Catalans possessed in midfield. His further emergence at a similar position for Spain did not turn out to be all bright and sunny, due to the Spanish team’s lack of a proper striker.

But the season under Tito has not been as productive for Cesc in terms of the tactics and positioning of the squad. Vilanova has been seen to push Xavi into a deeper role and hence pull back Cesc into an attacking trio with Iniesta and Pedro/Tello. Though he prospered in a similar position at Arsenal, the presence of Leo Messi at a now unfamiliar false No.9, and also Cesc’s constant switching with Iniesta for the left wing position, has left Fabregas at times frustrated and at others on the bench.

This potential switch to United will be discussed based on the reasonably safe assumption that Wayne Rooney does not leave Manchester. This results in all the front 4 spots being blocked, as on the left if not Ashley Young, new recruit Zaha is sure to come in. So, Cesc’s role at the moment looks to be as the ‘runner in midfield’ next to Carrick. This role seems pretty similar to his initial time next to Gilberto Silva at Arsenal, except that Silva was definitely a much more adventurous runner than Carrick, which thus saw the 16-year-old Cesc at times left to distribute from deeper roles.

The other main contender for this spot would be Tom Cleverley, who, though being majorly injury hit, was played more as a ‘shuttler’ in Fergie’s midfield diamond last season. Further, Cleverley’s finshing left much more to be desired from, and the Englishman looked to be at his best when played in a wide-ish role and asked to put crosses into the back post.

Another factor that comes into play here would be Rooney’s recent statement that he will prefer playing as the main striker rather than in midfield. This statement by a promising No.10, though weird, will now open the option of pushing Fabregas up the field and hence utilizing his well known chemistry with Van Persie.

This move to Manchester United amidst the Wayne Rooney crisis could mean that even though Rooney stays in Manchester eventually, Moyes revolves his team around Fabregas instead. A major factor that needs to be taken care in this regard would be the nature of wingers at United. The present duo of Valencia and Young are typically more of ‘crossers’ than attacking forwards. With Fabregas pulling strengths in midfield, the likes of a Zaha cutting in from the right after breaking the offside trap would be quite reminiscent of the old Cesc-Theo combinations.

While articles such as these will keep popping out worldwide, Arsene Wenger could be one man to term all of these redundant. The Frenchman had cleverly added a ‘first refusal’ clause in Fabregas’s contract 2 years back, and this sees Arsenal getting an option to buy back the midfielder for 30 million euros in case any other team bids for him. In other words, no other EPL giant could get the Spaniard for an amount less than 30 million euros. Though considering Wenger’s records, I won’t be surprised to see the Frenchman refusing to bid that amount even when ‘first refusal’ is offered.