Red Hot Cesc Fabregas sets the Chelsea Standard in Bournemouth Win

Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas recently told Nizaar Kinsella of Goal how there was a time this season when he forgot how to play football. Well, he remembered against Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Spaniard was exceptional at the Vitality Stadium, picking up three assists as Chelsea cruised to a 4-1 victory.

It was a far cry from when these sides last met. Back in December, the Cherries were busy pulling off a major upset at Stamford Bridge, coming away 1-0 winners.

Jose Mourinho’s reign as manager was all but over, and things were looking as bad as they had at any point this season. Chelsea were languishing in the bottom half of the table, struggling for form and confidence.

“After Bournemouth I was in bed and I spoke to my wife,” Fabregas told Goal. “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 has helped to rebuild it, and Fabregas is beginning to look more like the player we saw last season. At this same stage of 2014/15, Fabregas was helping the Blues to victories over Queens Park Rangers and Manchester United that would go a long way to helping them secure the Premier League title.

The stakes are much different this time around. We know there’s nothing to play for in Chelsea’s season, although the common theory is it’s places in Antonio Conte’s new regime that must inspire players.

Fabregas’ performance on Saturday has set the standard for that. With four assists for the entire campaign heading into the game, the three he picked up meant he came close to doubling it in just 90 minutes.

First, it was his pass for Pedro that got Chelsea rolling after …

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