Cesc faces being the odd man out

He is 25 now.

Nine years have passed since his debut for Arsenal, six since Luis Aragones handed him another famous red jersey and sent him out to represent his country on the senior stage but Cesc Fabregas’ international career remains unfulfilled.

It isn’t that he hasn’t contributed. He has. And how.

His decisive spot-kick in the Euro 2008 quarter-final against Italy is widely held up as the moment La Roja cast off the shackles of underachievement in so many major tournaments and he supplied the pass for Andres Iniesta’s World Cup winner two years later.

It was his equaliser last Sunday which rescued a point for the reigning world and European champions against Italy and yet when Vicente Del Bosque names his starting 11 for the tie with Ireland this evening the expectation is that Fabregas will not be among them.

His goal aside, the consensus is that the experiment of playing the former Arsenal player as a ‘false nine’ didn’t work and Fabregas will be sacrificed for the return of either Fernando Torres or Fernando Llorente.

In that light, his presence at last night’s pre-match press conference could be seen simply as an attempt at subterfuge but, whatever the reasons, Fabregas himself was remaining buoyant about his role in Del Bosque’s plans.

“The truth is that, yes, I think that in the national team I haven’t played that often but I have been with the team seven years and I have never stopped thinking my moment would come,” he explained at the Gdansk Arena.

“I am always excited, even when I have played for 10 or 20 minutes, and it is fantastic that I have started in the starting 11. I hope it will continue for some time. I am at the ideal age to take responsibility for teams and I hope to have the chances to prove myself.”

It is his misfortune that he has had Xavi Hernandez in the queue in front of him and his struggles haven’t been limited to his association with Spain. The return to Catalonia from England has been difficult, too, if not initially.

Fabregas arrived back to the Nou Camp hailed as the Prodigal Son and his form in the first half of the season certainly suggested that he was worth the wait but his goal against Italy was a first in almost six months and he admits that it has been a struggle to re-adapt to home.

Last weekend’s goal will have helped.

“Yes, it was great. I haven’t scored since February and now finally I could score. Before I had the opportunities but didn’t score but I like to pass the ball and search for positions to score as well. ”

Whether he does so as a false nine with Spain is another thing and his take on the role seemed equivocal at best.

“It is basically the same thing but a bit more forward. I am getting balls a bit more from behind and with back to goal. It is a bit more difficult but it is a position I have been using a lot this year [with Barcelona]. I cannot say I don’t like it but it is the manager’s decision and I will try to do the best for the team in any way I can.”

The priority against Ireland will be to claim all three points, not how they go about it. Giovanni Trapattoni has on numerous occasions declared his intention to ape Chelsea’s tactics against Barcelona and Bayern Munich so the reality is that most of Spain’s players will be featuring high up the pitch whatever the formation.

“We can play well even from outside [the penalty area] and shoot from long distance. Our defenders can move forward. We have to concentrate and get the points. Sometimes we don’t do what is expected of us but we will still try to have possession of the ball and we can shoot from 20 metres at goal. It will be difficult but I believe in our players and that we can play in the best way against Ireland.”

Odds of 11/1 against Ireland would suggest that few are contemplating anything but a routine Spanish success but the pressure on Spain, already mounting, would be unbearable should the unthinkable happen.

“We are used to this pressure. It is the same with the national team as with our clubs. We have to remember that we play against great opponents and we have to respect them and their players. Italy was a great team that we played and now we have to play Ireland and Croatia. We must go step by step, get to know the opponents and accept that they also play well.”

He may not start, but history suggests that Fabregas will have a role to play yet.