Cesc Fabregas reveals what he used to think of the atmosphere at Anfield when he played against Liverpool

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Liverpool now have more fans cheering them on at Anfield than at any point in the modern era.

With the capacity now increased to 60,725 following the completion of the Anfield Road renovation, the old stadium is set to be louder and more excitable than ever.

But according to former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, it hardly needed the help. Speaking on the BBC’s Planet Premier League podcast, Fabregas shared his happy memories of facing Liverpool at their home.

“The atmosphere is unbelievable,” raved the World Cup winner. “It’s one of those games that you just look up to because it makes you feel complete as a player. There’s nothing better you can do than playing at Anfield against Liverpool, especially when they’re at their peak.

“I’ve experience a bit of everything there. I’ve won comfortably, I’ve lost 4-0 once. In the Champions League one day we made great comeback and then all of a sudden from being in the semi-final of the Champions League two, three minutes later you are out. So, it’s been a mix of emotions.

“The pitch is fast, the pitch is good, they always press high, leave a lot of space in behind which I love for me to chip my balls in behind the defence. There’s been a bit of everything in my time in the last 15 years there. I loved every bit, you don’t love it when you lose but the experiences I’ve had in there, the lows and the highs have been very good for me to learn for the future.”

Fabregas hails Anfield experience

What a player Fabregas was. When you talk about rival players who you’d love to have played for Liverpool, he’s got to be right up there.

Classy, superb technically and basically a maestro out on the pitch, he would have slotted in perfectly at Anfield.

Unfortunately, Arsenal got to him first. From there, he went on to star in perhaps the greatest club team of all time – Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.

However, after breaking through at Arsenal as a 16-year-old, the years seemed to catch up with Fabregas a little later on. Unsatisfied with a rotation role at Barca, he joined Chelsea in 2014.

At that point, the Spaniard was still only 27. He did also enjoy success at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League in 2015 and 2017.

Nevertheless, individually, his best days were already behind him. Fabregas will always be remembered much more so for his time with Arsenal and Barcelona, as well as the Spanish national team, than with Chelsea.

With Liverpool coming off the back of a tilt at the title, perhaps they could have gotten in the mix for Fabregas 10 years ago. He would have added an awful lot to a team that needed reshaping. Clearly a fan of Anfield, maybe it wouldn’t have taken too much convincing.

From there, with Klopp’s reign not too far away, Fabregas could have become a lynchpin of Liverpool’s midfield. Cesc could then have realised the power of Anfield as it was intended – for the home team. Ah well. Even without that magic, it sounds like the famous old ground still had the desired impact.