MISSED THE MANAGER

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has said that the club has missed the presence of manager Tito Vilanova, who has missed large chunks of the season in order to undergo treatment for his cancer. The 44-year-old was recently diagnosed with cancer, and he spent several months in New York getting treatment for the problem. This period also coincided with one of the worst run of forms for Barcelona in recent years. The team were almost eliminated from the Champions League by Italian club AC Milan. Fabregas, who was brought to the club by former manager Guardiola, has revealed that the absence of Vilanova has had a major impact at the club.

Now that he has returned to the bench, Fabregas expects the results to improve substantially. Barcelona suffered a run of three defeats in just four matches a few months ago. This almost derailed the campaign for the four-time European cup winners. Vilanova managed to mastermind a 2-2 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final match against French club PSG. Fabregas also revealed that he has managed to get the coveted jersey of David Beckham.

Carlo Ancelotti surprised everyone by starting the 37-year-old David Beckham ahead of several young players. Beckham played in a defensive midfield position.

“It means a lot to us, we’ve missed him a lot. He’s the boss and is a big part of this project and this team. Now that he’s back we want to do things for him because we know that he’s suffered,” said Fabregas. The midfielder has been largely in and out of the team since his arrival at the Spanish club. He has spoken of his frustration at not being able to start against a regular basis. However, he is also aware of the fact that getting games at Barcelona is extremely tough due to the competition.