Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FABREGAS We crushed the world’s toughest league
CESC HAS LIFTED MANY TROPHIES BUT INSISTS THE PREMIER LEAGUE IS THE MOST COMPETITIVE & HARDEST TO WIN
CESC FABREGAS last night revealed winning the Premier League with Chelsea is the toughest achievement in his glittering club career. Fabregas won La Liga with Barcelona and the FA Cup with Arsenal, but says the Blues’ title triumph has topped the lot in terms of difficulty. The Chelsea midfielder is convinced English football is the most demanding of all the major European leagues and he puts this season above the rest. Fabregas said: “It feels great. Winning the Premier League trophy is something special, it gives you a special feeling. Having played in Spain, watching a lot of football as I do, from Germany, France and Italy, this is the best league in the world. “Maybe not the best players in the world, but it’s the most competitive and most difficult league to win. “To be able to win it two times in three years at Chelsea is something to be very proud of. “It’s tough here because anyone can beat you. That’s the thing. I’ve played in Spain and there were many games where you had to do really, really badly to drop points. “Here, every game is tough and that’s why next year, with the Champions League as well, we will have to be at the top of our game to compete again for the title.” That is the accusation. Chelsea have had it easy this season with no Champions League and yet Fabregas believes they can be genuine contenders in Europe. The Blues were the last English team to win the Champions League in 2012 and, since then, Premier League clubs have been in sharp decline. Fabregas believes the demands on players is the reason. “We definitely feel we can do something in the Champions League,” he said “It will be a big target for us. “Now you see the English teams are struggling. You will see that six teams can win the league easily. Any of them can do it. “Then some of them will play Europa League, Champions League. Then, on top of that, you have the League Cup and the FA Cup. Other leagues don’t have these extra games, extra trophies and extra difficult matches. You go to Burnley and it’s difficult. “In Spain, you go to other places, to relegation teams, and it’s not as difficult. “It will be tough to compete but we feel we can be strong next season, not just in the Premier League but the Champions League as well. “I am sure we will strengthen our team. Every team, even if they win the title, will try to improve and I’m sure Chelsea will try to do that too.” Antonio Conte’s men will be hoping to finish their season in style as they entertain Watford tonight and then have a title-winning party at Stamford Bridge against Sunderland on the final day. There have been many big performers in their title glory, Fabregas being one of them. Eden Hazard, N’golo Kante and Diego Costa have all played their part. John Terry will get a hero’s farewell. But Fabregas also paid a glowing tribute to manager Conte for the difference he has made this season since taking charge last summer. The Spain star added: “He has made a big impact, a good influence. He is a winner. When he sees something not going well, he tries to change it. At the beginning we saw many changes, maybe some of us are not used to it. “But we know now exactly what he wants from us. We also had a lot of time in between weeks to prepare well, to train well. And, maybe next season, we won’t have as much time. “But at least this season has prepared us well for what will happen next term. “I feel in great shape and we have worked hard to improve. “But I still think we can do better and so, hopefully, by the end of the season, we will prepare well for the FA Cup final and rest well for next season.”