Photo: sportgraphic / Shutterstock.com
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Cesc Fabregas played for FC Barcelona for three years from 2011 to 2014 and won six titles there together with Messi. So the midfielder knows the attacker very well and is already watching his development as he faces him twice in Ligue 1 with AS Monaco.
For example, Fabregas found the renewed criticism of Messi after the match against Real Madrid (1-0 for PSG) last Tuesday excessive. “He played a good game without being outstanding,” said the Spaniard in an interview with Mundo Deportivo. “He gave Mbappe a pass in the first half alone that no one else with 21 players on the field could have done.”
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For Fabregas, Messi’s missed penalty carries too much weight when assessing the player. “He got in between the lines well, gave Neymar another assist that could have been a goal…He missed a penalty. And? To judge him for that seems ridiculous to me.” That could happen against a world-class keeper like Thibaut Courtois.
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Photo: CosminIftode / Shutterstock.com
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Fabregas: ‘You always have to be careful with Messi’
The 34-year-old sees certain parallels with the 2015/2015 season when it comes to Messi. “I remember Luis Enrique’s first year when he was criticized a lot. When a crisis was made of everything. Then Barça won the treble.” During this period, Messi scored 58 goals in 57 competitive games and was instrumental in Barça’s success.
The press should therefore hold back a bit with criticism of the superstar. “I understand that newspapers have to be sold, but we’re talking about a player who will bring you down to earth in a second,” warned Fabregas. “With Messi, you always have to be careful, just in case.”
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