One of the major questions raised when Chelsea signed Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona earlier this summer was his astonishing loss of form around the turn of the year. Almost overnight, Fabregas went from being one of their better players to turning into something of a liability for the Catalans, a major red flag ahead of his move to Stamford Bridge.

But now we finally have an explanation for what happened -- on Fabregas' Instagram account he's admitted that he's spent the last eight months injured:

Despues de 8 meses de pubalgia, el sabado jugue mi primer partido sin dolor!! / After 8 months of groin injury, on Saturday I played my first game without pain !! (Google translate)

A groin injury coinciding with a major loss of form is actually pretty comforting now that it's cleared up. Players getting worse when they get injured is hardly news, and it's not surprising that Fabregas struggled at the tail end of last season if he really was carrying a knock.

Now that there's no more pain, expectations have to be even higher, right?