Fabregas - Captaincy has not changed me

Cesc Fabregas insists that the responsibility of captaining Arsenal has not changed him at all.

The Spanish midfielder was just 21 when he was handed the armband by Arsène Wenger last year and will celebrate the anniversary of his first game as skipper on November 25.

A serious knee injury diluted his influence last season but Fabregas has led by example this term. He tops Arsenal's scoring charts with nine goals and has helped the team to second place in the Premier League and to within a point of the Champions League knockout stages.

Fabregas appears to have taken the captaincy in his stride and the 22-year-old believes his team-mates have made the job easier for him.

"The captaincy hasn't changed me at all," said Fabregas.

"My team-mates have done a great job for me as well, to be honest. They showed me they believe and help me with everything. There has never been any trouble so I am very happy with how things are going."

This time last year Arsenal's team spirit was questioned during the final days of William Gallas' captaincy but Fabregas insists he leads a united dressing room.

"The issue with William is gone for us," he said.

"We don’t think about it anymore and are happy with the way things are going at the moment. The dressing room has always been really together and kept believing.

"Even if we didn’t win anything last year, we were really close and in all the competitions right until the end. So the mood in the dressing room is always really positive."