Antonio Conte Would Be Unwise to Sell Chelsea’s Lock-Picker, Cesc Fabregas

It was always going to be a big talking point when Cesc Fabregas was left out of Chelsea’s line-up against West Ham United on Monday night. Antonio Conte’s new era was starting without one of the biggest names in his squad in the first-choice XI. It looked far from positive for the Spaniard.

More surprising than Fabregas’ omission was that it was one of the last questions before the subject was broached in Antonio Conte’s post-match press conference.

“Cesc is Chelsea’s player,” Conte told journalists. “I’m happy about him, with his attitude and his behaviour during our training sessions. You must know as it happened before that a great team like Chelsea [some players don’t always start].

“I have to make a decision before the game to choose a starting 11, and it can happen in this situation that Fabregas isn’t in the team. It can happen for all the players. It’s important to see the right attitude, the right behaviour, because we must fight this season.

“It’s important to stay together all season. Then the shape can improve and change the situation. Now, I took this decision, but next game, we don’t know. I can change, but I don’t know.”

That next game is Watford this weekend, and given what we’ve seen after the Premier League’s opening round of matches, the expectation would be that Fabregas remains on the bench.

The issue he faces is the intensity that Conte has Chelsea playing at. It’s high, with quick movement and aggression through the middle being the staple of Monday’s 2-1 win over the Hammers. Chelsea didn’t just beat West Ham by scoring more goals; they outfought them to earn the right to outplay them.

With Nemanja Matic in the middle with Oscar, supported by N’Golo Kante in behind, Chelsea were able to harry West Ham in their own half and turn over possession in key areas. The pace of the game was unrelenting at times, players zipping through the middle of the park to exploit gaps.

The Hammers struggled to pick up …

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