Cesc Fabregas has claimed that he is enjoying the freedom brought about by the new formation at Chelsea. After a difficult set of results of the start of the new campaign, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte decided to switch to the 3-5-2 formation. This led to an impressive set of results – including the 3-1 success over Newcastle during the weekend. Even though this formation has been specifically built to get the best out of Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard, it seems that another player – Cesc Fabregas – is benefiting indirectly from this change. The Spaniard has never been the untouchable player in Conte’s team but he has been coming in with some impressive performances of late.

Ahead of the Champions League game against Atletico Madrid, the team are expected to line up once again in the 3-5-2 formation which has been so effective in recent weeks. Fabregas says that the system has allowed him to be much more expressive on the pitch, as he does not have the huge burden of defending as well as attacking at the same time. Fabregas is one of the best playmakers in the business as his vision and legendary passing skills often create chances for his teammates out of nothing. Speaking ahead of the game, Fabregas also claimed that he initially had to work a lot harder in order to convince Antonio Conte. Now, he is a regular fixture in the Chelsea team.

“It [new formation] allows me to get into areas where I can be close to Eden (Hazard) and Alvaro (Morata) and create things. You could say freedom. We know the boss likes to have discipline in our system and game. In this way, we cover the pitch well. It's working well. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried - maybe worried is not the right word. I wasn't part of his (Conte's) initial plans. You can give up or put your head down, be humble and work hard and show him he is wrong,” said Fabregas.