Cesc Fabregas’ Como spell is putting him in the spotlight
Como are flying high in the Serie A table and Cesc Fàbregas is increasingly being spoken about as football’s next great manager-in-waiting.
Life by the lake is pretty good for Como fans right now. Not only does the club play in one of Europe’s most idyllic settings, the team on the pitch is playing beautiful football. Winning football, too. Indeed, Como have won five of their last eight games with their only losses coming against Inter and Roma.
Seen as a Serie A oddity when they were first promoted to the Italian top flight two seasons ago, Como are now seen as a serious threat. Sitting sixth in the table, Cesc Fàbregas’ side are flying high and the former midfielder is widely seen as the mastermind behind their success.
Of course, money has been even more important to Como’s rise. Bought by Indonesian tobacco billionaires Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono in 2019, the club has the richest owners in Italian football. Como’s broader ownership group includes Thierry Henry and Fàbregas himself.
With this backing, Como spent their way out of Serie B and have continued to crack open the chequebook in the top flight, spending over €100m on new signings last summer alone. They spent a similar amount the summer before that too, making Como Italian football’s biggest spenders over the last two years.
Fàbregas has made the most of this advantage, though, forging Como into one of Serie A’s most modern and dynamic teams. Their current position in sixth place is no fluke. Instead, it is proof of the process Fabregas has gone through since his appointment in July 2024. It’s a process that could take them even higher.
Mostly using a 4-2-3-1 shape, Fàbregas’ Como are set up to play with the ball. Their average possession share of 60.8% is the highest in Serie A this season, indicating how comfortable they are at constructing sequences. It could be argued that Como are the most technically adept side in Italy right now.
This focus on possession doesn’t come at the cost of attacking threat, though. Fàbregas encourages his full backs to get forward to provide support in the final third with Nico Paz harnessed in the number 10 role. Since arriving from Real Madrid, Paz has made such an impact that many speculate he could return to the Santiago Bernabéu in the near future.
Como like to create overloads all over the field. Their rotations through the midfield and into the final third are extremely difficult to defend against and this speaks to the work Fàbregas is doing with his players on the training pitch. The Spaniard’s fingerprints are all over the sixth-best team in Serie A. His influence is obvious.
It makes sense that Fàbregas is a good coach. The Spaniard played under such managerial greats as Pep Guardiola, Arsene Wenger, José Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Luis Enrique. He clearly learned something from each of them and is now using those lessons to guide his own managerial career.
Fàbregas’ rise could be well-timed. A number of vacancies at some of Europe’s biggest clubs have opened up recently. There could be even more by the end of the season. Manchester United are in the market for a new manager and Fàbregas would tick a lot of boxes for the Old Trafford outfit.
Manchester City might be a more natural fit. Speculation continues to swirl over Guardiola’s long-term future at the Etihad Stadium and so City might have to come up with a succession plan sooner rather than later. Fàbregas played under Guardiola and would build on the foundations left by the legendary Catalan coach.
Chelsea’s model would be familiar to Fàbregas. Como are also in the business of player development – see Jesús Rodríguez, Máximo Perrone, Jacobo Ramón and Paz – and their Spanish manager has already proven himself as an effective mentor. Fàbregas, of course, also has links to the Stamford Bridge club.
At a time when there is a dearth of big-name managers for the biggest jobs, Fàbregas could be on the radar of several clubs. Como has been the ideal incubator for the 38-year-old as a coach and his decision to reject Inter Milan’s interest last summer suggests he’s willing to wait for the right opportunity to take the next step.
In the meantime, Como still have plenty more to achieve. On their current trajectory, they will qualify for Europe this season. If they can extend their current run of form any longer, the lakeside team will be in the Champions League discussion. Whether it’s with Como or another team, Fàbregas is preparing the managerial groundwork for something special.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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