Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas should play better or shut his mouth

Cesc Fabregas needs to play significantly better than he has so far this season if he wants to criticize his Chelsea teammates

There was a time when Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas played so brilliantly that he had the right to criticize almost any teammate at any time. Unfortunately for the Spanish midfielder, that time has passed. Now, he should be putting all of his effort into raising his own play instead of publicly chastising his teammates.

If you want to be the leader on your team and have the ability to call out your teammates in the public eye then you better be certain that your own level of play is beyond reproach. Somewhere along the line Fabregas forgot that unwritten rule because he’s publicly blasting his teammates when his own play has been shockingly mediocre.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder hasn’t managed to score a goal in the Premier League this season and has only notched two assists in 16 appearances. While he hasn’t been among the worst players at Chelsea, that still isn’t enough contribution for a Spanish international who is supposed to be one of the team’s better players. He’s also sporting a very pedestrian Whoscored.com player rating of 6.93 on the year which is well below what you’d expect to see from a player with his reputation.

He hasn’t exactly gotten a pass from fans and pundits for his very average performance, but his own poor play has been overshadowed by that of several of his high-profile teammates. That doesn’t give him the right to become the vocal leader of the Chelsea locker room though. That duty should be reserved for a player who is performing at a higher level than his teammates. Anyone who’s watched much of Chelsea this season can plainly see that Fabregas has not been that player.

Instead, he’s looked a step off the pace all season long. What’s even more concerning is his lack of ability to split open opposing defenses with his trademark incisive passing. You might expect his athleticism to decline as he gets older, but his trademark skill should still be in tact. He has been underwhelming athletically and just average technically on the season. He’s been well below his own standards.

That’s what makes it so irritating that he’s the Chelsea player who has taken it upon himself to publicly rebuke his teammates. While he might be right that the whole locker room needs to take more accountability for the club’s struggles, I don’t think he’s earned the right to say it publicly. If he were performing at his usual level then by all means, take the public microphone and say whatever you please. You can’t get away with it when you’ve been below average as well.

I can only imagine the eye rolls of his Chelsea teammates when they heard of his public comments. They had to be seething after being called out by someone whose play had been a significant part of their problem. I suspect that quite a few of them immediately had some words to say about the lack of contributions from Fabregas on the season in the aftermath of his comments.

Such public admonishment will only serve to plunge Chelsea deeper into a cavern of despair. What they need now is for the players to band together behind closed doors. They don’t need Cesc Fabregas taking it upon himself to be the public conscience of the Chelsea locker room.

• Published on 12/15/2015 at 4:52 PM EST
• Last updated on 12/15/2015 at 4:52 PM EST