Fabregas pleased he stuck to his task at Chelsea
With Chelsea now just one win away from their second Premier League title in three years, midfielder Cesc Fabregas admits he is relieved he did not throw in the towel at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues comfortably beat Middlesbrough – relegating the North-East side to the Championship next season – 3-0 on Monday evening, with Fabregas scooping the man-of-the-match honours after replacing N’Golo Kante in the side.
The PFA and Football Writers’ Association player of the year was ruled out of the clash with a minor muscle problem, but Fabregas orchestrated the win in his absence – the Spanish international got assists for the first and third goals, and he created five other goalscoring opportunities to boot.
He is now the only player to notch up ten or more assists in the Premier League in six different seasons, but has found consistent minutes hard to come by at times under Antonio Conte this year.
Fabregas has been used off the bench in more than half of his 25 appearances in the league this term, and was considering his future back in January.
But as he looks to help Chelsea close out the title with a win over West Brom on Friday evening, Fabregas insists he is thrilled with his contribution to the Blues’ campaign.
“It’s been a different year for me,” he said. “I’m used to playing week in week out at every club I’ve been, but I feel I’ve matured a lot.
“Many people told me I’m not the type of player for Antonio and I should leave, but I like a challenge.
“I haven’t played every game but I think the last 20-plus games I’ve played in every one, obviously not all from the start but I feel the quality of my minutes whenever I’ve been on the pitch has been fantastic this season.
“My contribution has maybe been even bigger than sometimes when I’ve played a full season every game.
“I’ve had to have patience and accept that sometimes these things happen, play for the team, play for the club and hopefully we can go on and win another title.
“It’s been a different season for me but I’m proud of what I’ve done and proud of the team.”
