Arsène Wenger believes Cesc Fábregas has taken his game to "another dimension" after the World Cup-winning midfielder inspired Arsenal to the biggest victory in an opening group fixture in the revamped Champions League.
Fábregas scored twice and was denied a hat-trick only by Moisés' goalline clearance as Arsenal won 6-0 against a hapless Braga team making their debut at this stage of the competition. Wenger is convinced this can be a glittering season for his side after a trophy drought stretching back to 2005, with his success in warding off Barcelona's interest in signing his captain over the summer potentially key.
"People questioned whether his heart was still in it, but I never doubted it was," said Wenger of Fábregas, whom Barça publicly courted in the close season. "He has taken on another dimension. People forget he's still only 23, an age at which other people are just starting out. He is a fantastic influence and it's important that he leads this team to winning. He loves this club. People doubted that, but I never doubted it. He arrived here at the age of 16 and enjoys the way we play. What more do you want to be happy?
"For our young players, playing alongside him, it's a fantastic opportunity. If you're 18, like [Jack] Wilshere, and you see Fábregas alongside you, it's a big opportunity to learn a lot. I liked the way Cesc gave the ball to [Carlos] Vela for the last goal instead of trying to score himself, because that reflects his attitude of a leader. He's not selfish, and that reflects the way we play as a team."
Fábregas reaffirmed his commitment to Arsenal – "I'm comfortable here and I always have been," said the midfielder – and his vague frustration at the manner in which his side appeared to ease off once 5-0 up with 21 minutes to play reflected his ambition.
"It was a good performance but, towards the end, we played too easily and we should have stepped up," said the Arsenal captain. "We'd had good discipline until then, but we will have games where you can't get easy at any moment. So we have to make sure we do it for the full 90 minutes."
Greater tests than that offered by a defensively feeble Braga await in this competition, though Wenger has spied signs of real progress which bode well for securing silverware this season. The European Cup has eluded him over an illustrious coaching career but an eye-catching start to the new campaign has bolstered belief that the team can finally win a major honour during this campaign.
"I always believed in this team," said the Frenchman, whose side have scored 18 goals in their last four games. "For me, what they did at 20 was exceptional. They're now 22 or 23 [on average] and continue to grow. That's normal. I'm convinced they can go on to win trophies this season. I have problems convincing everyone else, but that's normal too.
"What gives me that belief? You watched the game . You don't need replays to see we can play, we can be creative, can score goals. When you see the pace at which we play and the number of chances we create... well, remember Braga knocked Sevilla out in qualifying. They're a good side. It's the start of the season only, but let's take encouragement from what we've done so far.
"The ranking system, the index of coefficients in Europe, says we are a top eight team in this competition and that's down to our performances in the Champions League every year. But we haven't ever won it. As long as we haven't people will still question us. You win it with quality, it's as simple as that. But we have a big squad – look who was sitting behind me in the stands, some quality players – and whoever plays does so with the style that everybody knows we have."
Source: Dominic Fifield, The Guardian on 16 Sep 10
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