Cesc
Fabregas admits Chelsea’s players must take responsibility for the club’s
failings in the Premier League this season.
League leaders Leicester City condemned Chelsea to their ninth defeat of the
season on Monday Night Football and left the Blues languishing in 16th place
in the table, just a point above the relegation zone.
Manager Jose Mourinho said he felt "betrayed" by his players following
defeat at the King Power Stadium, but remained unmoved on speculation over
his future at the club.
Fabregas - speaking live at Q&A session which took place at Facebook in
London - insists the Premier League champions must accept the criticism for
under-performing this campaign.
"We will all have to take responsibility. If you are a big player and paid
like a big player, you must play like a big player and behave like a big
player," the 28-year-old said.
"I am not saying you can't have a bad season and bad games. We all have big
players and small players, but the attitude must be spot on. We must always
be at the top of our games, even when it's not and not the behaviour that we
are seeing right now from every Chelsea player."
Fabregas also refused to blame a lack of confidence for Chelsea's worst
start to a season for 37 years and says the squad must respond quickly as
they attempt to halt their worrying slide.
"Confidence is important until a certain point. At the end of the day, as a
player you have pride. We cannot win the Premier League right now, but we
must do better," the midfielder said.
"Right now is not the time to think of where we might finish, we've been
saying it almost all season.
"I don't think about anything apart from wanting to beat Sunderland, play my
best and that's it. Right now, no one is easy as it currently shows. We've
put ourselves in this position and we must now prove that we can start
winning."
Fabregas was joined by former Arsenal team-mate and Sky Sports pundit
Thierry Henry - the pair have more than 15m combined Facebook fans between
them.
And Henry also feels the blame should be directed more at the players rather
than Mourinho.
Henry said: "People are having a go at Mourinho, whether you like him or
not, that's a different story. People are saying: 'Did he lose the dressing
room? Did he not? Is it the tactics? Is it the right players? Is it [Kurt]
Zouma? Is it [John] Terry? Should he start with this or that?'
"For me, Chelsea having a bad season is finishing fifth. But they have lost
nine games so far, nine games. I never thought I would be saying that and we
are not even half way through the season. I just don't get it.
"The doctor situation, Mourinho with the referees, I always try to defend
players to an extent, but I am sorry with the quality in that team, whether
you play 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, how can you not beat Bournemouth, Crystal
Palace, and it's no disrespect to any of those teams, at your place at the
very least.
"It seems like it's difficult for them and yes, you can have a go at the
boss, but I also think you can have a massive go at the players at the
moment.
"Both of them are in a situation that I don't know what it is like because
I've never been in that situation like that. Cesc said it, we had bad
seasons at Arsenal, but we managed to finish high up. But I think it is time
for the players to be professional about it, where is your pride?"
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