Posts tagged cesc fabregas

Cesc won’t be rushing back until he has fully recovered from his hamstring injury and may not return until after Christmas. In his latest tweet and speaking in the programme notes before his team’s Carling Cup quarter final against Wigan, he shows his frustration. 

“I don’t want to put a date on my return yet, I will take my time. The team did really well without me against Aston Villa, so I will wait until it is completely ready.

It is so frustrating, though. It seems when something like that happens, it all goes wrong at the same time, so you have to be strong, put everything behind you and keep working.

I know I haven’t been at my best this season, I started the season really strongly, the first few games, but after that I had an injury and got into a pattern of missing a few games, and then starting again.

So it is better my team-mates play, because they are fitter than me. I will just try to get back whenever I can. My team-mates are helping me a lot and I am trying my best.”

Did you watch Barca in Athens?

Yes, at home with Carla. I watched them as usual, they are a machine with players who still have the intention of winning it all and nobody has been able to find a remedy to overcome them.

Who are you betting on?

As a culé, I want Barca to win. As a professional, El Clasico is seen as a sensational game in which the club maintains its incredible history, but Madrid are much improved compared to last season’s. I see them being more dangerous than in other years.

Why is there a difference between a Cule and professional?

Because I know everything that surrounds a classic and I want to make things clear in principle. No one should be surprised at my feelings for Barcelona because I have never hidden them. My family are Cules to the core, my grandfather Alex took me to Camp Nou when I was just one and half years old, I was raised in La Masia, in our house there was always a very special party for Barca-Real, and that’s why I say I want Barca to win. I do not want my wish to be misinterpreted but of course I want them to win and I think they will

You already participated in the prelude of the classic, in the Portugal-Spain friendly…

Yes, it was a strange game because La Roja has many Barca and Real Madrid players and the Portuguese has Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Carvalho and Pepe. With everything that was said before the game in some way the classic reflected. But these are things of football without much significance.

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Cesc suffered a recurrence of the hamstring problem that has troubled him for some time during Tuesday night’s Champions League defeat and could be sidelined for about three weeks.

Arsene Wenger said: “It could be two to three weeks. It is a hamstring injury – on the other leg – so it’s difficult to predict how long Cesc will be out for. It is very disappointing because I had a hesitation to play him (Fabregas) before the match started. I took the gamble and it backfired on us.”

Some views of the players on the Portugal friendly,

Fernando Llorente: “We’re worried about what happened in Argentina and what happened today. We played badly, we all lacked intensity. Portugal were superior and ready and intense. It was a painful day. We didn’t address the game as we had from the beginning. We haven’t played our usual game and in that sense, Portugal has surpassed us. It was difficult. We have tried, but today we had our day. It’s hard for us to lose like that.”

Santi Cazorla:  “The positive side is that it was a friendly. It’s clear that we can’t ignore the result as if nothing had happened. It’s always painful to lose with Spain, especially if you lose for four to zero. The coach hasn’t said anything. He will reflect on the game and is a man who knows how to keep calm. “

Carlos Marchena: “We have a great team and yet we have not been fine. We knew it was a against a strong and complicated team, but clearly we did not expect this result “

Cesc Fabregas: “We’re hurt. It’s been a big scoreline but we have to lift ourselves. We wanted to finish the year well but now we have to wait until February. It’s not been our best game but you also have to know how to lose. The truth is it’s a match where we can’t take anything positive. They played better than us, they had a lot of desire… Now we need to apologise to the fans and continue forward.”

Has it been a problem refocusing after winning the ultimate prize in football? Did the Premier League feel an anti-climax after winning the big one?

No, not at all. The opposite really. Obviously I am very proud of what I have done but winning the World Cup makes you hungry for more.

The more you win the more you want. You never want to stop so it is actually a very, very good feeling.

You set up the winning goal in the World Cup final… how many times have you said, “It was my pass for the winner” since then?

(Laughs) Yes I have said that a few times… but only to my friends.

There are not many players who can say that they’ve made the winning goal in the World Cup final, they’ve won the World Cup…

It is something that I will always be proud of, a memory that will last forever. And you are right - there are not many people who can say that they are World Cup winners. There are great players who have done many, many big things in football but have never won it. It is a small, exclusive club so I have to be proud. I remember after the Manchester City game I went on to the pitch to do a TV interview and saw Marcel Desailly there and he said: “Hey, Mr World Cup winner!” And I said: “You are too.”

And he grinned and said: “Yes, but that was a long time ago.” The truth is it doesn’t matter how long ago, you are still a world champion - so in 15-20 years I will still be able to look back and say: “Wow, look what I achieved, that was amazing!”

And has there been any backlash from the Arsenal fans over the Barcelona bid for you in the summer?

No, not at all. I was honest about it all at the time and I think they understood the situation perfectly, 100 per cent. There has not been one single person either at the stadium or in the street who has said anything bad to me about it - no, no. Nothing, nothing at all and that’s been very welcome and appreciated. I am just focused on having a great season at Arsenal and winning something.

Read more at The Sun

(Source: thesun.co.uk)

The winners will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala on 10 January 2011.

The following 23 players (in alphabetical order) are candidates for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2010:

Xabi Alonso (Spain), Daniel Alves (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Diego Forlán (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Júlio César (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Maicon (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Mesut Özil (Germany), Carles Puyol (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi (Spain). 

(Seven Spanish internationals and six Barcelona players have made the list.)

The following ten coaches (in alphabetical order, first nationality and then team) are candidates for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2010:

Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Chelsea FC), Vicente del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Barcelona), Joachim Löw (Germany/Germany national team), José Mourinho (Portugal/FC Internazionale Milano and Real Madrid CF), Oscar Tabárez (Uruguay/Uruguay national team), Louis Van Gaal (Netherlands, FC Bayern Munich), Bert Van Marwijk (Netherlands/Netherlands national team) and Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal).

Who will win the Ballon d’Or?

(Source: fifa.com)