Even before he completed his protracted move to Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas knew it was going to be tough to establish a regular starting berth at the club, that is so flush with brilliant midfielders.
The one thing, however, that pushed him to the Catalan club - his hometown club - was the lure of playing for his idol Pep Guardiola. Sure there was some extreme peer pressure too from the Barcelona players - reasons why many Arsenal fans lost any small interest in the team.
The main thing, however, was Guardiola. The man that Fabregas grew up wanting to become. While everyone expected the former Arsenal captain to struggle in his first season at the Nou Camp, it was far from what actually happened. Fabregas excelled in a more attacking role and was frequently on the scoresheet for his new club.
However, soccer is a fickle sport. One day you are a hero, the other zero. After Guardiola decided to take a self-imposed sabbatical, Fabregas has found himself, a little bit, caught between a rock and a hard place. Tito Vilanova, the new head coach, obviously is a big admirer of Fabregas' talents; which is why he has started the ex-Arsenal man in all three matches. But the three games have proved a little futile for the talented playmaker.
The goals have dried up, the confidence, which should have been sky high after an impressive Euro 2012 campaign, where he played in the false No 9 position, has come down drastically.
"There's no such thing as a great substitute in the world of football -- I couldn't tell you what makes a great substitute," Fabregas told Radio Marca.
"I always wish my teammates well and put a happy face on. If I have to take my unhappy face home then so be it, but I would never let my teammates or manager see it.'
"I've always said that I play for the best team in the world, but I came here to compete, to learn and enjoy, not to sit wracking my brains."
Competition for starting places at Barca is so fierce that if you lose it for one game, it might take you a while before you get it back. Fabregas knows that; he also knows Vilanova will not keep the faith or show the loyalty that Guardiola, who was instrumental in bringing him to the club, showed.
However, having said that, this is far from a crisis. Fabregas learnt his initial game at the Barcelona academy, before moving to Arsenal as a young teenager. After making the move back, Fabregas always knew he was going to be in at Barca for the long haul, or at least that was his intention.
"The manager knows what I can offer. I'm delighted to be a part of this team but when a coach tells me I have to go, I'll go," he said. "But I will not make it easy for him to do so, by any means.
"I will keep going, looking forward to the time that things change. I came here to see out my career."
Arsenal have the first option if Fabregas does indeed decide to leave Barcelona; and there is no doubt that the Spanish international would only consider a move back to the Gunners and his father figure Arsene Wenger. Having said that though, it is too little too early to come to a decision; it is after all only three games into the season, anything can happen. Fabregas might turn up after the international break and score a hat-trick and all will be forgotten.
Although it can be debated whether Arsenal fans would welcome back Fabregas, just the inkling of a possible return of their former captain, is a story worth watching out for.
