Cesc Fabregas says Chelsea had less time to prepare for Manchester City clash
Chelsea are six points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City after seven games following the 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
But Fabregas believes Chelsea had less time to prepare for the Stamford Bridge meeting, with City’s home win over Shakhtar Donetsk a day earlier than the Blues’ victory at Atletico Madrid.
And the Chelsea midfielder insists the champions’ Premier League title hopes are far from over, having been eight points behind at this stage last season.
Fabregas told the club’s official website: "This was without a doubt the same Chelsea of last season.
“But what happened was that we came up against a City side who went into the game much better rested than we did. Nothing more.
City went into the game much better rested than we did
Cesc Fabregas
“We knew it would be a difficult week, starting with the trip to Stoke last Saturday which as we know is always a complicated task.
“Then there was the trip to Atletico Madrid, arriving back early the next morning at 5am on Thursday, with practically only one day to prepare for the match.
“We faced a City team who came well prepared. They had home games and one extra day of rest.
“We are making no excuses but it was a difficult week and we have competed. We gave it everything and could not have done anything more.
"This time last year we were eight points behind, but it doesn't mean anything. There is still a long way to go in all competitions."
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