CESC FABREGAS CLAIMS he “forgot how to play football” in his lowest ebb at Chelsea earlier this season.
The reigning Premier League champions suffered a shambolic run of results in the first half of 2015-16 that took them from title favourites to hovering above the relegation zone.
Among the defeats was a 1-0 loss to promoted AFC Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on 5 December — two weeks before the club axed Jose Mourinho — and Fabregas has revealed how serious his crisis in confidence was during that period.
“One time after a game, after Bournemouth, I was in bed and I spoke to my wife,” he said during a Q&A for Puma in London.
I forgot how to play football, I have the ball and I don’t know what to do with it.
“It was hard, those two or three months from November, when I had no confidence.”
Guus Hiddink’s arrival as manager has coincided with Fabregas’ return to his usual self, the former Arsenal captain claims, as Chelsea aim to get revenge on Bournemouth this Saturday.
“Everything has changed in the last few months, I’m playing very well,” the 28-year-old said.
“Most importantly, it isn’t how you get (knocked) down, it’s how you get back up. I can be better now.”
With title glory a long-forgotten prospect, the Chelsea midfielder is rooting for Leicester City to defy all pre-season expectations by winning the Premier League.
I want Leicester to win,” Fabregas added. “What they’re doing is remarkable. It takes real passion and guts.”
Chelsea host Leicester on the final day of the season and the result could decide whether Claudio Ranieri wins the title at his former club or Tottenham claim their first championship since 1961.
- Nizaar Kinsella, Goal.com
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