Despite winning the Premier League under Antonio Conte, the 2016-17 season wasn’t always the happiest of times for Cesc Fabregas.
Seemingly forgotten by the Italian at the start of the campaign, the Spaniard eventually managed to find himself a spot in his manager’s plans, but it could have been very different.
Giving a lengthy interview to Marca ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, the 29-year-old opened up about his struggles.
Never wanting to leave the club in the summer, Fabregas’ determination has paid off, now a regular in Conte’s plans, even if he did come off the bench against Stoke at the weekend.
Still, he’s started all of the other games (bar the Tottenham game for which he was suspended), and he can pinpoint exactly where everything changed for him under the Italian.
He said: “I decided I would stay and fight. The game against Manchester City (3-1 win for Chelsea) was a turning point. Matic was injured. The team had won seven games in a row, and suddenly I was picked.
“I had not played in that system (3421/343)… Had we lost, it would have been the end. Everything went well, we came back (from being 1-0 down) and played in a solid way”.
From that moment onwards, Conte appeared to trust Fabregas far more, and the Spaniard ended up becoming a rotational option and occasional starter at Stamford Bridge, ending the season with five goals and 12 assists in 29 league appearances.
