Cesc Fabregas is a big part of Chelsea FC’s current struggles. Looking at the current climate of professional football, it isn’t hard to see why.

There used to be a time in which Passing Specialists roamed pitches, plying their finessed passes from deep, splaying and splitting defenders with a single kick and picking out angles Geometry herself hadn’t considered. This is the football Cesc Fabregas worked so hard to perfect. Yet each embarrassing defeat Chelsea FC suffers highlights Fabregas as part of a dying breed. Not even the tactical conservation efforts of Jose Mourinho can save Francesc.

This current era of uber-athletic turbo football has wrecked the ecosystem that once allowed the Passing Specialist to thrive. Time is needed to measure and strike those lengthy, cutting passes whereas time in today’s game is something not afforded to you by many teams outside of Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Fabregas’ best game this season BY FAR).

Football today requires that you run and press and tackle and intercept and harry and hurry and run some more to make things happen. The plodding dinosaurs of yester-era used to be able to tactically float away from these pacy harassing players, or use their momentum against them. Trouble is that these days teams are littered with the guys. They snarl as they run, pounce on touches a millimeter too loose, salivate when players dally on the ball, and ask as many questions of their own bodies as they do of their opponents.

Fabregas looks out of place not because the beautiful skill he has crafted has diminished, but because he simply is. Cesc is playing his game, and it’s a beautiful game. The problem is that it is extinct.

In terms of passing, Fabregas didn’t have a bad match against Newcastle. The former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder also took three shots, one blocked, one off target, and one that needed all of Tim Krul’s spider monkey-like goal protecting skills to stop. He sprayed passes around the pitch and did so at an 82% completion rate. Fine, not abysmal, but a touch below standard.

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When you look at the things that matter in modern football, Fabregas was invisible against them. He had the same number of interceptions, fouls, cards, and take-ons as you and me. He also won just one more aerial duel and defensive tackle than all of us combined.

Against Porto he had to be better. He was, but only by default. Fabregas played all 90 minutes and only improved on his Newcastle numbers by one successful take-on, two successful tackles, and three fouls.

Chelsea’s 4–2–3–1 leaves Fabregas in an area of the pitch that requires toughness, defensive awareness and finesse. The Spaniard has only one of those. Defensively he gets caught in a blender of one-twos, but instead of chasing a man or the ball, he trots out of frame in an almost comically obvious effort to escape film room ridicule.

In this money-engorged version of world football and the Premier League, Jose Mourinho can’t tactically hide Fabregas’ flaws. They’re costing us creativity and a link with our very expensive attacking players, while also allowing our defenders to be ran at mercilessly.

Cesc is playing his game, and it’s a beautiful game. The problem is that it is extinct.

Cesc’s last two matches of subpar performances provided us with one pass that bridged the old world and the new. In the 83rd minute against Newcastle, Pedro’s intent to run behind the defense was read by Fabregas almost immediately after the initial flinch of Pedro’s leg muscles.

Using the space above defenders’ heads, he laid the ball gently at the feet of an in-stride Pedro from +30 yards away — positioning the ball and attacker perfectly between the last defender and a nervous on-rushing goalkeeper. Pedro wasted the chance, but Fabregas had provided something beautiful. The problem is that it takes time to paint those details, and it took two matches to find it. While it’s hard to tell beauty that you don’t want to see it anymore, Mourinho must be honest with himself and the position he’s put himself (and Fabregas) in.

Though it’ll be a test of faith to replace Fabregas not knowing what will come with regard to consistency, Chelsea are running out of options. There are too many matches between now and January’s transfer market to dwell on it any further. If (as Mourinho said in an earlier press conference) he waits until we’re out of all competitions to trust young players, he might not be here to make that decision.