Cesc Fabregas has heralded a new era of success for a Chelsea team he believes can be among Europe’s finest.
After clinching his first Barclays Premier League title, Fabregas predicted a glorious future for the club with Jose Mourinho at the helm and Eden Hazard on the wing.
Hazard, he says, is capable of reaching the heights of Lionel Messi and rates manager Mourinho above Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola.
‘He knows how to manage a team and how to get the best from you,’ said Fabregas. ‘That’s what you want from a manager, 100 per cent. He can motivate a player every three days — not easy when you play 60 games a season, trust me.
‘Everyone thinks that we have a big squad, but we don’t. We’ve used 22 players, some of them from the under-21s, so it’s not easy and he actually is doing a fantastic job.
‘He just loves winning. I’m not saying other managers I’ve played under don’t, but he has some edge that goes above anyone else I have ever been with.
‘The mentality shows in every single training session or game. I now understand why he has won what he has won in his career.’
It was Mourinho who convinced the former Arsenal captain to choose Stamford Bridge when he left Barcelona last summer, promising him a role as his creator-in-chief. Fabregas responded by striking an instant understanding with Diego Costa and Eden Hazard and finished the season with a stream of assists.
‘He makes me feel important in the team,’ said Fabregas. ‘He allows me to play the way I feel. I feel like that he trusts me. He makes me feel things I didn’t feel for a while: to feel important, to play every game, sometimes he allows me to give speeches.
‘Every game before the game, one player gives a speech, and he allows me to feel like a leader, to feel important to the team. It is always good for a player to feel he has the confidence of the manager.’
Before Sunday’s title clincher against Crystal Palace, Mourinho asked Fabregas to deliver the pre-match speech in the dressing room.
‘It was a special one,’ smiled the Spain midfielder, 28. ‘I cannot say what I said, but it worked, so I’m happy.’
If Petr Cech and Didier Drogba leave in the summer, Mourinho will be searching for a new vice-captain, with Fabregas sure to be among the main candidates along with Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic.
‘I am hopeful this will be the start of a new era,’ said Fabregas. ‘We have players who have been here a long time but I hope the new players will feel the winning mentality and go on for a long time.
‘I’ve said since the start of the season that this is a very talented young team. That is one of reason I signed. Potentially, this team can be one of the best in Europe.’
While Mourinho has emphasised that this season has been a great team effort, all at Chelsea accept that Hazard, the PFA Player of the Year, adds the stardust — and Fabregas rates him as highly as his former Barcelona team-mates.
‘He can be one of those, for sure,’ said Fabregas. ‘He can be up there. He’s had a fantastic season, I just want for him to do it again next year and to be even better. He is the main guy. In my mind, he is the guy that makes this team better than it is.
‘Next year he has to prove himself in the Champions League as well because he is capable of that, and I am sure he will give many big nights of glory to this club.’ – Daily Mail