Cesc Fabregas would know all about ruthlessness in football. Having played for arguably the greatest club side of all time – that being the Barcelona team which tore all comers apart for four years around the turn of the decade – he knows the importance of going for more when you are already 3-0 up.
Big wins not only improve the goals for column but also put future opposition on the back foot. Opponents can defend deeper in the knowledge that your team is on fire and likely to score at any time.
Fabregas has sent out a rallying call to his Chelsea teammates in the wake of a shock home defeat in The FA Cup against Bradford at the weekend. The Telegraph quotes him as saying:
I played against Chelsea teams that maybe talent-wise were not at the level of this team, but mentally they were there. You knew every single game you played against Chelsea it was going to be tough and that’s what we have to prove with this team.
Chelsea raced to a 2-0 lead in the game against Bradford and few, if any, would have bet against them at that point of the match. But they clearly got complacent and that can’t happen again if The Blues want to turn promise into trophies come May.
We are really enjoying the way we play, we are helping eachother and it’s nice to see. But people will not remember that if we don’t win The Premier League.
It’s a timely reminder ahead of the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi final against Liverpool tonight. The tie is delicately poised at 1-1 after the first leg at Anfield and Chelsea know that many more questions will be asked of this team if they don’t get through.
While talk of a quadruple ended almost before it started, it’s difficult to imagine a squad of this power and precision not winning a major trophy this season.