r game 1.6 Since De Bruynes 2014 departure, Chelsea have spent £96.5m on midfielders, and even the most devoted Chelsea supporter would surely agree that only Cesc Fabregas has been a success - although even he divides opinion amongst Chelseas fan base. Chelseas midfield signings since De Bruyne

This weekends Saturday Night Football pits the champions of the past two seasons against one another at Stamford Bridge. In August, few would have anticipated that, come the business end of the season, Manchester City - buoyed by a summer spending spree in excess of £150m - would trail Leicester by 15 points. Fewer still that defending champions Chelsea would be embroiled in a battle to simply finish in the top half.Kevin De Bruynes emphatic impact on his return to the Premier League was far easier to predict. Chelsea paid £6.7m to Genk for De Bruyne in January 2012, but it wasnt until Jose Mourinhos return to the club ahead of the 2013/14 season that he was awarded his chance in west London. Kevin De Bruyne has been a key man for Man City this season Then, after only nine appearances in all competitions, and just 132 minutes of Premier League football, he was sold to Wolfsburg in January 2014.The Belgian playmaker excelled last season with the Bundesliga outfit, and hasnt looked back since. Most assists in Europes top five leagues since August 2014 Player Team Assists Kevin De Bruyne Wolfsburg/Man City 29 Lionel Messi Barcelona 28 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 27 Luis Suarez Barcelona 26 Dimitri Payet Marseille/West Ham 25 His creative capabilities have been clearly demonstrated throughout his inaugural season in Manchester.Despite a recent 12-game absence with a knee injury, only Mesut Ozil and Dimitri Payet have created more chances per 90 minutes than De Bruyne this season, while only Ozil, David Silva and Gerard Deulofeu have averaged more assists per 90 minutes than Man Citys number 17. His influence for Manuel Pellegrinis side is evident. Man City with and without De Bruyne - all comps 2015/16 With Without 35 Games 16 21 Wins 8 60 Win % 50 22.8 Lose % 31.25 2.2 Goals per game 1.6 Since De Bruynes 2014 departure, Chelsea have spent £96.5m on midfielders, and even the most devoted Chelsea supporter would surely agree that only Cesc Fabregas has been a success - although even he divides opinion amongst Chelseas fan base. Chelseas midfield signings since De Bruynes departure Mohamed Salah - Jan 2014, Basel, ￡11mCesc Fabregas - Jun 2014, Barcelona, ￡30mJuan Cuadrado - Feb 2015, Fiorentina, ￡23.3mNathan - May 2015, Atletico Paranaense, ￡4.5mPedro - Aug 2015, Barcelona, ￡21.4mKennedy - Aug 2015, Fluminense, ￡6.3m So exactly how much has Fabregas achieved at Stamford Bridge? His initial impact was spectacular. He created two goals on his debut for the club in a 3-1 Premier League win at Burnley, and finished the campaign with a league-high 18 assists - although 15 of those came within his first 21 appearances. Cesc Fabregas performances have improved under Guus Hiddink Since returning to the Premier League, only Ozil (23) has more assists than Fabregas 22, and no player has attempted, or completed, more passes in the English top flight this season. Premier League passes - 2015/16 Player Passes Successful passes Cesc Fabregas 2,340 1,964 Andrew Surman 1,988 1,698 Mesut Ozil 1,896 1,636 Glenn Whelan 1,807 1,572 Aaron Ramsey 1,759 1,513 Fabregas return of four goals and four assists from 31 Premier League appearances this season, however, has done little to stem the tide of discontent from certain sections of the Chelsea faithful. It could be argued that he is a victim of his own success, or that his connections to Arsenal make him an easier target than the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar, who would surely be the first to admit they have failed to replicate the form of seasons past - they have a combined nine goals and assists in the league this season.After all, Fabregas is one of the divisions all-time top creative talents. Premier League - all-time assists Ryan Giggs - 162Frank Lampard - 102Dennis Bergkamp - 94Wayne Rooney - 94Cesc Fabregas - 92 The pessimism directed at Fabregas from the terraces earlier this season was as much down to his perceived contribution in Mourinhos demise as it was to his form, although under Guus Hiddink, he has flourished in comparison. Cesc Fabregas - 2015/16 Premier League Under Mourinho Under Hiddink 16 Apps 14 0 Goals 4 2 Assists 2 1.56 Chances created per game 1.79 68 Passes per game 84 Since arriving at Chelsea in June 2014, the diminutive Spaniard has either scored or assisted goals against every side currently above them in the Premier League table, barring one - Manchester City. Fabregas is yet to score or assist against Man City since joining Chelsea He does have a particularly strong record against City throughout his career, and scored in successive Premier League home wins for Arsenal in 06/07 and 07/08. Cesc Fabregas record v Man City Played Won Drawn Lost Home 8 6 2 0 Away 10 6 1 3 Overall 18 12 3 3 This Premier League campaign will be one both Chelsea and Manchester City will be pleased to consign to the history books. Both have new faces in the hot-seat for next season, and De Bruyne is undoubtedly one of the few players who can feel secure of his place in Pep Guardiolas re-shuffled pack at the Etihad next season.Fabregas struggles over the last 14 months mean his place in Antonio Contes Chelsea squad come August is less assured, and he will need to maintain his recent improvements to ensure he doesnt become another expensive acquisition of Roman Abramovich that doesnt fulfil their substantial price tag.Watch Chelsea v Man City live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Saturday Night Football from 5pm. Also See: De Bruyne one of Europes best Hazards rapid decline Hydro Flask 32 Oz Straw Lid . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Hydro Flask 10 Oz Wine Tumbler . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.hydroflask32oz.com/standard-mouth.html .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Hydro Flask 21 Oz Standard Mouth . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Hydro Flask Standard Mouth Flex Cap . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Calvin Ridley doesnt want to brag on Alabamas receiving corps too much.Sure, its a group full of talented, mostly experienced playmakers -- especially counting tight end O.J. Howard -- on an offense where the quarterbacks are still duking it out for the starting job and theres no established tailback.The biggest star of the group nevertheless mixes confidence with a dollop of humble brag.As a group of receivers, were really good, Ridley said. I dont want to boost our ego up but weve got some good guys on this team who can make a lot of plays.Maybe Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett or freshman Jalen Hurts will seamlessly grab the quarterback job. Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris certainly have the pedigree to become the Crimson Tides latest accomplished backfield duo.All thats still getting sorted out, but offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin certainly has the widest array of experienced receiving options of his `Bama tenure.It starts with Ridley, who had one of the most prolific seasons by a freshman receiver in major college football. His 89 catches and 1,045 yards topped Julio Jones and Amari Cooper to set Alabama freshman marks. He had the second-most catches for a freshman in major college football history and set a Southeastern Conference record.Ridley didnt even start until Robert Foster went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in the third game, and now a healthy Foster returns.I think he would have had a great season if he hadnt gotten hurt, Kiffin said. Very special skill set as far as speed and ability to get on top of the coverage downfield and if hes healthy I think hell really have another one, too. Hell play well andd help the guys around him.ddddddddddddThen theres deep threat ArDarius Stewart, who had 700 receiving yards last season.Howard wasnt targeted frequently during the regular season but was the offensive MVP of the national championship game. His 208 yards against Clemson was the most by an Alabama player in a bowl game and a national title game record.Richard Mullaney is the only significant receiver gone from last season, and he was replaced by another graduate transfer. Gehrig Dieter joins the Tide after earning second-team All-MAC honors last season with Bowling Green (Kentucky) with 94 catches for 1,038 yards.Dieter spoke to Mullaney before transferring to Alabama and is hoping to leave with the same prize: A national title.We have probably some of the best receivers in the country -- Calvin, ArDarius, Cam (Sims), Rob, Dieter said. Our depth is just crazy to me, to come in here and see what kind of talent these guys have and how hard they work every single day and how committed they are to the process has been a joy to see.Alabama still has a deep group even after sophomore Daylon Charlot transferred to Kansas over the summer and Chris Black moved on to Missouri. Freshmen Trevon Diggs and T.J. Simmons join the mix, along with Dieter.Its one of the best receiving corps weve ever had if not the best, Tide safety Eddie Jackson said. Hands down.Those guys come in and they challenge us every day. We challenge them back. They love competition. 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