Fabregas Praises FC Barcelona Under Xavi And Club’s New Golden Generation Boasting ‘Star’ Pedri

Cesc Fabregas has remarked on how FC Barcelona have improved under former teammate Xavi Hernandez, the change in play the Blaugrana have adopted, and the golden generation they now have on their hands as they look to come out of one of the club’s darkest moments into the light.

Born in Arenys de Mar some 50 kilometers from Camp Nou, Fabregas knows Barca well after being scouted at amateur club Mataro in the Catalan capital’s eastern suburbs and then coming through the La Masia academy as part of another special group which also contained Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique.

As per Barca’s recent history, though, Fabregas pointed out in an interview with MARCA that all outfits “go through difficult times”.

“With [Ernesto] Valverde they won La Ligas even if they stopped competing in the Champions League,” the World Cup winner added.

After leaving for Arsenal as a 16-year-old, Fabregas returned to Barca in 2011 and played with Xavi in some of the current head coach’s last years in the elite before heading to Qatar to begin his coaching career.

Fabregas admitted that he likes Xavi’s Barcelona “a lot”, and is enjoying their current upturn in form since the 42-year-old took over in the dugout from Ronald Koeman because they had “lost certain things”.

According to Fabregas, Barca had lost their fear factor in recent times and other teams could beat them “without doing much”. But Xavi has now recovered the essence of the club which is “to go out and win the game”.

“Maybe they don’t have that football with so many [touches of the ball] because they have players who are faster and vertical up front,” Fabregas noted, before listing off players such Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Gavi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembele, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore who are “very different” yet being forced to “come together” by Xavi.

“He has to keep gaining experience, but he’s made a team that wasn’t good convince and believe they’re good,” Fabregas stressed.

The Monaco midfielder highlighted Xavi’s work with Pedri and claimed that coaches in other teams who opt for a faster and more physical approach “would say that [they want] another player who gives [them] other things” and “is more combative”.

“Barcelona are making a star with Pedri. Gavi, Nico… a good generation has been born,” Fabregas concluded on Barca and their current crop of young stars coming through.