Cesc delighted to shut up the naysayers at Chelsea

Cesc Fabregas’ defensive capabilities in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 system have been questioned so the midfielder was delighted to shut a few people up on Wednesday.

The former Barcelona and Arsenal midfielder scored the only goal in the Blues’ 1-0 win over Sunderland – their tenth in a row.

Fabregas has had to settle for a place on the bench for much of that winning run but he has now started two of their last three games.

And as a result the 29-year-old has turned in some of his best performances of the season.

“People say I cannot defend but I recovered the ball, went forward and scored,” he said.

“It’s fantastic for me to score. I know what I can do but the problem is I haven’t had minutes, and if you don’t play you can’t show what you can do. In football nowadays people forget very quickly who you are, what you’ve done and what you can do. Hopefully now I can have a run of games to keep my fitness up and show what I can do.

“People forget it’s only the second time in my life, in my whole career, I’ve played this system. My team-mates have played a lot more than me. Against Manchester City it was a big test because it was the first game. I’m getting used to it, I feel very comfortable. I have a lot of players in front of me so I can pick passes between the lines, they run into space and I have protection behind me. I’m really enjoying it and I think it suits me a lot.”

Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images for Premier League

A multiple title winner with both Barca and Arsenal, Fabregas knows what it takes to win league titles.

And he likes what this Chelsea side are showing in their ability to grind out wins even when not at their best.

“I’m satisfied for the team because we fought very hard,’ he added. ‘We can compete. I’ve seen many times teams winning titles – Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea – where these 1-0 victories are so important. Hopefully we can keep it up.”