Cesc Fabregas opens up about Antonio Conte at Chelsea
Cesc Fabregas opens up about his situation at Chelsea under Antonio Conte
Cesc Fabregas has described his relationship with Antonio Conte as “fantastic” after having won the trust of the Chelsea manager.
The 30-year-old midfielder initially struggled to hold down a regular starting spot in the first team at Stamford Bridge following Conte’s appointment in west London back in the summer of 2016.
Fabregas was used more as a substitute for the Blues in the Premier League as Conte’s men won the title in the Italian’s first campaign in charge at the club.
However, the former Arsenal captain has been a much more regular fixture in the first team with Chelsea this season and he has started 12 of the Blues’ Premier League games.
He has had more opportunities since Conte opted to sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United in the summer and he has been in sparkling form for the west London side as they bid to try and keep themselves in the title race.
And Fabregas has opened up about how his improved form and regular run in the first team at Stamford Bridge has come about.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday at Cobham, Fabregas said: “I was not playing and I was not really part of his [Conte’s] initial plans.
“At that point you can do two things; you can just give up and accept that you are not going to be part of the team or the club in the future, or you can do what I did and try to be humble, work hard, train hard every training session and show him what you can do, show him he is wrong, show that he can trust you and you can play in his team. And that is what I did.
“Every time I had an opportunity I gave my all and I delivered and I think from there on in we started to create a relationship.
“I would say now that my relationship with the manager is fantastic. He trusts me, I trust him and I know what he wants from me and I know exactly what I can give to the team.
“I reacted very well and I am very proud of this and at the same time I am very happy because I am where I want to be and that is all down to belief, trust and hard work.”
Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon with a trip to the London Stadium to take on West Ham United.
