The Spain midfielder played a delightful
volley through the Swansea City defence
earlier in January, but his team-mate failed
to beat goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianksi



Chelsea midfielder Cesc
Fabregas says he covets
assists like strikers covet
goals, and says he "killed"
Diego Costa for wasting
one of his trademark
through-balls.
Fabregas has laid on 15 goals for his team-mates
in the Premier League this season, seven ahead
of his closest rival, and tops the charts for total
chances created.
And he admits he was less than pleased when
Costa failed to convert one of his passes in the
recent 5-0 thrashing of Swanswa City, even
though he notched three assists at the Liberty
Stadium.
“I remember assists like a goalscorer remembers
goals. I have a soft spot for them. The pass I was
disappointed that it wasn’t a goal was the other
day against Swansea," he told The Telegraph.
“I hit a volley to leave Diego one‑on‑one with the
goalkeeper and he didn’t score, and I killed him
afterwards because it could have been one of my
best ever.”
Current Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil recently
revealed that he envisions situations before they
happen when he is on the football pitch, and
Fabregas has shed light on his own thought
processes, although he cannot explain exactly
how he does what he does.
“You sense situations,” he added. “I’m just
thinking always for the next move, what will
happen. I always try to look around before the
ball comes to me, but I don’t know specifically
how I do it. It just comes naturally. Sometimes
it goes good, sometimes it doesn’t go good, but I
try, I keep trying and I’m persistent in some
final balls.
“You have to have the eye for it. You can see a
pass and decide not to play it. Me, I see 10
passes and I will try eight, so I am very
persistent. I know this will make me lose more
balls than normal because I could player two-
metre passes. But, instead, I prefer to try for
the 30‑metre passes. I know like this I will
always lose more balls, but at the same time I
will create many opportunities for my team-
mates.
“Sometimes you go five games without any
assists and all of a sudden in one game you have
three. It’s always been a part of my game. I think
every year I have good numbers in assists. I have
a soft spot for assists and killer passes since I
am very, very young. I like it.”