Cesc Fabregas explains the difference between Chelsea FC and Arsenal
Cesc Fabregas explains the main differences he noticed after playing for both Chelsea FC and Arsenal
Cesc Fabregas has claimed that the main difference between the Chelsea FC and Arsenal teams that he played in was that the Blues were far more “ruthless” than the Gunners.
Fabregas spent eight years at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger and won the FA Cup with the Gunners in 2005 before he secured a return to his boyhood club FC Barcelona in the summer of 2011.
The Spanish midfielder then ended up signing for Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea FC in the summer of 2014 when Jose Mourinho was in charge of the west London side.
Fabregas won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup during his spell with the Blues before he left to sign for AS Monaco in January 2019.
Arsenal have struggled to challenge for the Premier League title in recent seasons and they have not won the top-flight crown since their famous unbeaten triumph in the 2003-04 campaign under Wenger.
Chelsea FC, meanwhile, last won the title in 2017 under Antonio Conte as Fabregas helped the Blues to clinch the top-flight crown.
Now, the former Arsenal captain has opened up on the main differences he felt playing for the Gunners and the Blues over the years.
Speaking in an interview with The Telegraph, Fabregas said: “Some teams I played in at Arsenal and Chelsea were similar in terms of talent, but the difference I felt straightaway is that at Chelsea we were ruthless.
“At Arsenal there were fantastic, top, top players, but at Chelsea we didn’t really care if one day we had to win 1-0 by not touching the ball for the whole match.
“At Arsenal, and it was maybe partly my fault at some point as the leader and captain that I was, sometimes we forgot that to win leagues and Champions Leagues, you need to win ugly.
“When I was young I always wanted to play the beautiful game, but there are always five or six games a season that you need to struggle but win.
“At Chelsea we did that. We were very competitive and very experienced. That’s the main difference.”
Arsenal ended up in eighth place in the Premier League table to miss out on a spot in the Champions League, while Chelsea FC ended up in fourth spot in Frank Lampard’s first campaign in charge as they sealed their place in Europe’s elite club competition for next term.
