Fàbregas is Destined to Become a Top Coach. He Will Soon Leave His Amazing Como.

Cesc Fàbregas's Best Friends Are Journalists

At Como's constantly developing training ground in Mozzate, the 38-year-old coach is happy. He gladly welcomes journalists and explains all the subtleties of the world's most popular game to them. Whenever Fàbregas talks about football, it becomes clear that he has thought deeply about it his entire life. Yes, you might ask, what else would he think about? But not everyone constantly thinks about their job, right?

In press conferences, he gives direct and detailed answers. In a football country like Italy, you might expect such an approach from a Spaniard to be welcomed, and it is. The new generation of Italian coaches and analysts study Fàbregas. They take ideas from him. But older experts do not appreciate Cesc's radical honesty. Some think he's just showing off.

In terms of openness, Fàbregas is no different from Daniele De Rossi, who is also surprisingly responsive in conversations with journalists; the Roma legend now coaches Genoa. But hearing it from Fàbregas somehow carries more weight. Resistance to Como's style of play grows with each victory. They are an exception in a league where almost all teams play the same way (3-5-2), and almost every team has an Italian coach who cycles through clubs in his career. Fàbregas seems like a threat to the established order; at 38, he has much to learn.

Play with a trusted brand — here: live social casino. You’ll find all types of games, from new releases to your favorite hits.

The Older Generation of Italians is Against Cesc

It will be interesting to see how many of Fàbregas's colleagues vote for him in the Serie A Coach of the Year award ("Panchina d'Oro") this summer. Only one foreigner has won it since it became a strictly domestic award for the top division (Serie B has its own separate "Panchina d'Argento"). That was José Mourinho, who needed a treble with Inter to do so.

Fàbregas would be a worthy winner based on the current season. Just 18 months after their first promotion to the top flight in two decades, Como can qualify for the Champions League. After a 5-0 defeat by Como, Pisa's Swedish coach Oscar Hiljemark, one of the few foreign coaches working in Serie A, called Cesc's gang "one of the best teams in Italy." It took another foreigner to acknowledge Fàbregas's work.

That doesn't mean local specialists don't recognise Fàbregas. The former Zenit coach Luciano Spalletti, for example, approved of Fàbregas's idea to change the pitch dimensions at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, enlarging it to gain an advantage in play, since Como tries to have as much possession as possible, making it easier to break down the opponent's defence.

"If I were a player, I would want Fàbregas to coach me. He widened the pitch by 50 cm on one side and 50 cm on the other. This means he wants to stretch the opponent's defence to find more spaces. I can't wait to play there."

When Fàbregas noticed that the Cagliari stadium staff had deliberately let the grass grow long before the home match against Como, it wasn't a criticism. Fàbregas didn't hide his admiration for their coach, Fabio Pisacane. Everyone has their own methods for winning.

Many believe Fàbregas simply copies Barcelona's football. But that's not true. For example, Cesc couldn't play that style in Serie B because he didn't have the players for that kind of football. He got Como promoted to Serie A using other methods. Of course, Guardiola and Wenger shaped his approach to coaching, but so did Mourinho and Conte. He knows how to do more than just attack.

This Season Could Be Historic for the Daring Club

After Como thrashed Roma in a match considered almost decisive in the race for Champions League qualification, Gian Piero Gasperini petulantly refused to shake Fàbregas's hand after the final whistle. Before that, Massimiliano Allegri reportedly called Fàbregas a "child" and an "idiot" after Cesc held back Milan defender Alexis Saelemaekers by the shirt when the Belgian approached his technical area. Fàbregas raised his hands and later apologised for the unsportsmanlike conduct that stopped an opponent's attack. Gasperini and Allegri are not used to a 38-year-old coach beating them in Serie A, in their own backyard, especially a foreigner.

In the first half of the match against Roma, Fàbregas wanted his centre-back, Jacobo Ramos, to pull his marker, Stephan El Shaarawy, towards the centre of the pitch. "If you don't follow him, you'll drift offside." El Shaarawy had to follow Ramos, where the Como player won almost every duel and helped the attack.

"What works today might not work tomorrow," Fàbregas admitted. It worked against Roma. Yes, Como has enough money to be bold in Serie A thanks to their Indonesian backers, but the wealthy don't always achieve results. Apart from Pepe Reina, Raphaël Varane, and Sergi Roberto in 2024, and then Álvaro Morata last summer, they haven't bought stars. Instead, they bet on talents. For example, Nico Paz, Assane Diao, Jayden Addai, Martin Baturina, and Jesús Rodríguez moved to Italy with practically no experience at the adult level. The Fàbregas factor undoubtedly played a role in their choice of Como. Why else would graduates of the Real Madrid and Betis academies decide to try themselves at a club just promoted to Serie A?

There are also many players who were bought for laughably small sums by today's standards. The club can now sell them on favourable terms for themselves. The only Italian who has played for Como in Serie A this season is Edoardo Goldaniga. Do you know how many minutes he has played? 14.

Fàbregas wants to have the option to play with Italians, but, as he said earlier this season, finding young local players ready for Serie A is difficult. It's not his fault if the academies aren't producing results; it's no coincidence that the Italian national team has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row. It's not a curse for Materazzi's behaviour in the final. Zidane might have cursed the Italians then, but the problems in training young footballers in this football country are indeed enormous.

Como tries to play a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. The team attacks and defends well. This is their season. The club did not expect to reach such heights so quickly. It will be very interesting to see what happens to Como next season, and to Fàbregas as well. For now, we'll watch to see if they manage to qualify for the Champions League.