FC Barcelona: Why Xavi is right to speak the truth about Cesc Fabregas

The never-ending Cesc Fabregas saga has taken yet another twist in recent days, as Xavi has given his two cents. Wenger is unhappy, Arsenal fans are unhappy, but why? It beggars belief.

Let’s go through some of their claims.

Xavi has no right to say this.

The claim that riles me most is that Xavi apparently shouldn’t get involved. Well, I’m yet to meet an Arsenal fan who can give me the whole story. This quote was part of a press conference, which contrary to popular belief, did not revolve around Cesc Fabregas.

The press conference in question was held at Xavi’s football school. It was not an event organized by FC Barcelona, but by Xavi himself. Therefore, he was going to be asked a variety of questions, about Alexis Sanchez, Bojan and of course, Arsenal FC’s Cesc Fabregas.

What was he going to do? Ignore the question(s)?

Well, that is one option I have been told, but why on earth should he do that?

Honestly, can anyone think of a reason?

Last time I checked, the football school was not in North Korea, so Xavi retains his right of free speech. At least, he does until the Cesc issue is raised. People say it creates controversy, and unsettles the player, Cesc Fabregas.

Wait.

Read the quote again.

 "I spoke to Cesc in Ibiza and he said he was suffering, because he really wants to come. It’s what he most wants; he’s done everything he can to come and wants Arsenal to let him go"

How could this unsettle Fabregas? How could the very words from the mouth of Arsenal’s beloved captain be unsettling? If Xavi is to be believed, these are Cesc’s words, and therefore, he already feels this way. So by saying it, Xavi is merely repeating the words of Fabregas.

So, I pose to you, that the only ones being unsettled are the Arsenal fans and Arsene Wenger, who have know been told for the second year in a row, by Fabregas himself, that he wants to leave for Barcelona. Once again, I urge you to read the quote:

"I spoke to Cesc in Ibiza and he said he was suffering, because he really wants to come. It’s what he most wants, he’s done everything he can to come and wants Arsenal to let him go"

I cannot stress enough, that Xavi was merely repeating the words of Cesc Fabregas. So, who’s the one in the wrong?

Still, I come back to the point made by Arsenal fans, which is that Xavi has no right to comment on the behalf of Fabregas.

However, I can freely give my opinion on Cesc Fabregas. You can as well. Yet, when the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and La Liga winning, current third best player in the world – as voted for by his fellow professionals – gives his opinion, he is lambasted by anyone and everyone looking to one-up the current European Champions, Barcelona.

Just to clarify, I am allowed to voice my opinion, yet Xavi, one of the best midfielders of all-time, cannot?

Well, that is just baffling.

On to the next claim.

The words of Xavi could be called tapping-up

Get real. Xavi is not the first to issue a statement like this. Wenger is a hypocrite for saying Xavi is disrespectful, though maybe he is getting senile, if he cannot remember this quote on Joe Cole:

"I like him as a player because when he played against us he always did a lot of damage. He can create impact through his creative play; he can dribble, he can pass, he can score goals."

Or maybe this one on Steven Pienaar:

"Pienaar has grown this year. He was usually a very busy player but the final ball was missing a little bit. This year he has gained in personality and he has kept his work-rate - so he has been much more efficient. What also played a big role in his growth was that Mikel Arteta was not there for a while and that he had to take the responsibility of being the playmaker of the team. He was one of the best players in England this year. He would get into the Arsenal team. I always had an eye on him since he was at Ajax." 

Well, there we go folks. Xavi cannot repeat the words of Cesc Fabregas, but Wenger can say that he has an eye on Steven Pienaar, and that he would get into the Arsenal team?

Are any Arsenal fans naive enough to believe that Wenger phoned up Barcelona to ask them whether he could sign Cesc Fabregas at 15 years of age, as they couldn’t because of the child labour laws in Spain?

Well, I could answer that, but the truth is, Wenger did not. That means he forwent the club, to build a relationship with the player. That’s tapping up.

On another note, Jack Wilshere added his two cents earlier this week. This excerpt is from Fox News:

Teenage midfielder Wilshere called the Spain international a "role model" and claimed his skipper proved last summer he was a "real man" by remaining loyal to the club.

This appears to be yet another case of someone else trying to sway the opinion of Fabregas. Not tapping-up, but you could argue that Wilshere is using emotional blackmail here, to prove him wrong.

But Jack Wilshere is a media darling, and Xavi is the devil’s reincarnate.

The Barcelona players are being told to go out and say this

Believe it or not, some people will argue this point. Some suspect that the 31 year-old, grown man that is Xavi, is being told what to say by the higher ups.

Personally, this is better than many of the jokes I hear or read every day, and it only gets funnier when you meet another person who actually believes this.

Is it inconceivable that Cesc Fabregas talks to the Barcelona players? In doing so, he may say things that he doesn’t say to the media, and his beloved fans, who apparently mean so much to him. Xavi’s words are confirmation of a fact: Fabregas wants to leave.

Fabregas only wants to leave for Barcelona

It’s true that Barca are his number one destination, but what I am sensing, is that every day, the will just to leave Arsenal, and escape the ineptitude of Wenger and the board, is getting stronger.

Why the Arsenal fans will ask. Well, here’s my opinion.

Four of the last five seasons have ended in injury for Fabregas. That means he is missing a lot of game time. As a professional, that cannot be his goal, to miss games. He knows that many of those injuries come from poor management, and he was lucky to get to the World Cup, as he was injured while playing Barcelona in the Champions League.

It is a fact that Fabregas has hired two, non-Arsenal, physios, to look after his health. If I was Arsene Wenger, that would be a huge concern. He doesn’t trust the physios, and probably doesn’t trust the manager. After all, he has seen with Henry that players get played while injured.

So, if Barcelona and Arsenal cannot negotiate a fee, maybe he will still leave. I’m sure Manchester City could pay the price, and to be honest, no-one on earth could blame him for leaving.

Xavi should be dodging this question

One popular claim, I have encountered is that Xavi has a responsibility as a senior member of the Barca squad to dodge Cesc questions. Question is, who for? Is it for Barcelona?

Well, people argue that his words give Barca a bad name, and they do it seems, but are they losing money from this? Are sponsors pulling out?

Of course not, so all Xavi would do is protect the Arsenal fans, and he is under no obligation to do so. Fans of the North London team hate FC Barcelona, envy FC Barcelona, and most despise the Blaugrana fans. No doubt, someone who is a fan of (our sister blog) the Short Fuse, will make a comment on my age. They did it before, and no doubt will again, as someone of my age (16) cannot have an opinion worth reading.

After all, I posting a link to get their opinion is considered trolling (by some not everybody, just a selected few).

Never mind, whatever gets them through the day is fine by me, as they are beginning to see the truth. The captain they once adored is leaving, and he couldn’t give two hoots about the fans he is leaving. He doesn’t want to "sever the relationship" he has built up with the Arsenal faithful. Or he doesn’t want to lose his loyalty bonus should a transfer take place.

At the end of the day, Xavi is relaying a fact, one that some Arsenal fans refuse to acknowledge, and has full right to do so. It was like this at the same stage last season, and Cesc has never truly said he is happy to stay. Yet what do I know? And more importantly, what does Xavi know...

Feel free to leave your opinion below.

If you’re a fan of Arsenal FC, check out SB Nation’s blog on the Gunners, The Short Fuse. Even if we agree to disagree, we can still remain cordial. In any case, Barca Blaugranes will always be biased towards FC Barcelona but will always accept – not tolerate –but accept, more importantly, respect ANY opinion.