Chelsea interim manager, Guus Hiddink has told the press that Cesc Fabregas will be able to deal with any abuse that comes his way as the Blues prepare to take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
According to The Guardian, the Chelsea boss said that any abuse would ‘encourage’ his playmaker.
Fabregas has had a stop-start season so far under Jose Mourinho and now Hiddink. Hiddink believes that the Spaniard is now back in form, though, and it is all down to the training that he has gone through in recent weeks.
We worked hard the last weeks in training … and as a consequence physically he’s feeling himself very, very good.
The former-Arsenal man has delivered four goals and scored three so far this season in 26 appearances in all competitions. Last season he averaged an assist every other game with 21 assists in 42 appearances.
Fabregas left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2011 after an eight-year stint at the north London side. In 303 appearances for the Gunners, he managed to find the net on 57 occasions.
We didn’t say go to the weights and lift 100kg. The way we practice, emphasising a lot of interchanging of rhythm of pace of the game, in our exercise, made him also in my opinion physically sharp.
Hiddink finished by saying:
You can have several reactions [to fans’ criticism] but he gave the right reaction to perform, to have the team perform, which is good to see. He made a very good step and what I like is his contributing to the team, on the pitch and also with the youngsters, which is good to see.
Footage emerged online this week of a Chelsea steward asking Fabregas, ‘what happened’ to him, while calling him a ‘snake’ for leaving Arsenal.
