Football
Kevin Palmer 9y

Cesc Fabregas happy pulling the strings from Chelsea's midfield

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes his sparkling form in the Premier League this season is due to his deployment his favoured central midfield role.

Fabregas was used in a more attacking role in his time at Barcelona, but he feels he is best suited in a deeper role as it allows him to dictate play, with his theory backed up by facts since his return to English football last summer.

The former Arsenal captain has 11 assists to his credit in his first 15 Premier League games for Chelsea and he credits Mourinho's move to give him a run of games in the heart of the midfield for that success.

"Where I am playing right now is the position I like the most because I feel I can dictate the play and I feel in control," he told the Chelsea magazine.

"At Barcelona, I was playing as a false nine, as a No.10, everything except what I felt was my best position, but I was feeling comfortable because we had a great team and great players, so it was going well."

Fabregas went on to hail his midfield partnership with Serbian Nemanja Matic as central to the success Chelsea have enjoyed in the first third of the campaign, as he claimed the duo are complementing each other to perfection.

"I think, for me and Nemanja, it is basically the same job in the team," he added. "The only difference is that, in certain moments of the game, I go a little further forward than him and he covers when I do.

"I think the coach likes for both midfielders to give stability to the team and that we are always there to give a solution to the player when they have the ball.

"If we all started going forward and going crazy with changing positions and stuff, then we would have problems, but right now we are feeling solid in this aspect of the game."

Fabregas is set to return to the Chelsea team for Tuesday's Capital One Cup quarter-final against Derby after missing Saturday's Premier League win against Hull due to suspension.

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