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There’s so much more to Cesc Fabregas’ Como than just possession

There’s so much more to Cesc Fabregas’ Como than just possession

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Cesc Fàbregas’ first job as a senior head coach is, so far, going pretty well. Como dominate the possession stats in Serie A, as you might expect with a Spanish centurion in charge – but there’s so much more to them than dominating on the ball.

By Karl Matchett

Influence in ideas

At 38 years of age, let’s face it – former Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea playmaker Cesc Fàbregas could probably still be doing a pretty good job on the pitch, let alone off it. Especially in a possession-oriented team which tends to control the flow of the game, something which he excelled at across a career which included 110 caps with the Spanish national team at a time when the likes of Andres Iniesta and David Silva were at their peak.

Serie A possession leaders

Perhaps unsurprisingly – see somewhat similar influences in the early managerial careers of Xavi and Xabi Alonso – his approach to coaching stems from a similar ethos, with Como comfortably topping the possession stats in Serie A this season, averaging 61% each match ahead of Inter (60.5%) and Juventus (58.6%). It’s possession with production though: Como are an impressive sixth in the table after 12 rounds of games, suffering just one defeat so far and on a run of 11 unbeaten heading toward December.

Yet, while the immediate assumption might be forgiven considering its orchestrator, Cesc’s team is far from just one about retention and recirculation. This Como side is a relentless monster when out of possession. Their results right now are less about the on-ball work, and more about their out-of-possession intent. It’s aggressive, feisty, and fighting determination – a foundation which allowed them to go from relegation candidates last term to mid-table debutants last term, but which has held over this year as they progress to a more all-round dominant team.

Defend from the front – and everywhere else

Start looking at the defensive basics and it’s clear that the Como squad’s first rule of engagement is along the lines of don’t concede, don’t lose. The team has conceded just seven goals all season, only one more than table-toppers AS Roma to have the second-best defensive record overall. That isn’t fluke: Como have the fourth-best xG conceded rate (11.8). The approach to getting that kind of defensive resilience can be done in different ways, but what stands out for Como in particular is where and when they start defending – and how ferociously it’s done.

They are third for fouls per match (15.8) and fourth for bookings (28) – and joint-top for red cards, having had two dismissed already this term. Como rank second for tackles made and won, are top for tackles in the final third (32) and have regularly been at or near the top for fewest passes allowed by the opposition per defensive action made – in other words, as soon as possession is regained Cesc’s side swarm them. Como are also top three for percentage of aerial duels won – this is an all-encompassing approach to immediately winning back the ball or at least stopping the opposition from building up, starting from the front and by whatever means necessary.

Fàbregas’s preferred 4-2-3-1

It doesn’t always have to be pretty – or legal – for them to do so and, so far this term at least, Como haven’t been afraid to do what’s needed to halt or regain play. A double pivot midfield blocks off centrally and in channels, aggressive attacking midfielders filter across to stop passing lanes and a fluid 4-2-3-1 shapeshifts as needed.

All this makes them incredibly tough to play against, for teams to get into the swing of their own approach and to create big opportunities against them – but that same final point has been one of Como’s own issues: consistently creating decent chances.

Areas for improvement

For all that Como have kept teams at bay and stayed undefeated for a long spell, it’s important to add the context that they’ve won three of the last eight and until their most recent game had scored against just one of their previous four opponents, averaging out at around a goal per game across the season. Maybe the midweek 5-1 thumping of Torino marks a turning point there: they created seven big chances and amassed a 2.8 xG, quite the contrast to before that match where their 19 big chances would have placed them 19th out of the 20 top-flight teams. They remain only eighth for xG and seventh for touches in the opposition’s box.

Another factor of that old Spain team serves as a reminder: a lot of possession is dominance, but too much without movement and penetration might become sterile.

It’s unsurprising that Como have some areas to improve, of course – they were only promoted back to the top flight two years ago. Their best finish – seventh in 1950 – is a mere historical footnote and last term’s tenth place was their finest campaign since ninth in 1985/86. They’ve been down to the fourth tier and back since then, so this rise is essentially still in its infancy. It has, of course, been bolstered by off-pitch investment and Cesc’s own network of Spanish stars: Sergi Roberto, Alberto Moreno and Álvaro Morata among others remain decent squad boosters, if not regular starters.

And even Cesc himself will still have plenty of learning and refining to do in terms of his approach, both tactical and regarding man management, and with early improvement can come rapid expectation. But the start has been excellent, and the hype around team and head coach alike is likely to continue to grow.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Serie A with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

There’s so much more to Cesc Fabregas’ Como than just possession

Cesc Fàbregas’ first job as a senior head coach is, so far, going pretty well. Como dominate the possession stats in Serie A, as you might expect with a Spanish centurion in charge – but there’s so much more to them than dominating on the ball.

By Karl Matchett

Influence in ideas

At 38 years of age, let’s face it – former Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea playmaker Cesc Fàbregas could probably still be doing a pretty good job on the pitch, let alone off it. Especially in a possession-oriented team which tends to control the flow of the game, something which he excelled at across a career which included 110 caps with the Spanish national team at a time when the likes of Andres Iniesta and David Silva were at their peak.

Serie A possession leaders

Perhaps unsurprisingly – see somewhat similar influences in the early managerial careers of Xavi and Xabi Alonso – his approach to coaching stems from a similar ethos, with Como comfortably topping the possession stats in Serie A this season, averaging 61% each match ahead of Inter (60.5%) and Juventus (58.6%). It’s possession with production though: Como are an impressive sixth in the table after 12 rounds of games, suffering just one defeat so far and on a run of 11 unbeaten heading toward December.

Yet, while the immediate assumption might be forgiven considering its orchestrator, Cesc’s team is far from just one about retention and recirculation. This Como side is a relentless monster when out of possession. Their results right now are less about the on-ball work, and more about their out-of-possession intent. It’s aggressive, feisty, and fighting determination – a foundation which allowed them to go from relegation candidates last term to mid-table debutants last term, but which has held over this year as they progress to a more all-round dominant team.

Defend from the front – and everywhere else

Start looking at the defensive basics and it’s clear that the Como squad’s first rule of engagement is along the lines of don’t concede, don’t lose. The team has conceded just seven goals all season, only one more than table-toppers AS Roma to have the second-best defensive record overall. That isn’t fluke: Como have the fourth-best xG conceded rate (11.8). The approach to getting that kind of defensive resilience can be done in different ways, but what stands out for Como in particular is where and when they start defending – and how ferociously it’s done.

They are third for fouls per match (15.8) and fourth for bookings (28) – and joint-top for red cards, having had two dismissed already this term. Como rank second for tackles made and won, are top for tackles in the final third (32) and have regularly been at or near the top for fewest passes allowed by the opposition per defensive action made – in other words, as soon as possession is regained Cesc’s side swarm them. Como are also top three for percentage of aerial duels won – this is an all-encompassing approach to immediately winning back the ball or at least stopping the opposition from building up, starting from the front and by whatever means necessary.

Fàbregas’s preferred 4-2-3-1

It doesn’t always have to be pretty – or legal – for them to do so and, so far this term at least, Como haven’t been afraid to do what’s needed to halt or regain play. A double pivot midfield blocks off centrally and in channels, aggressive attacking midfielders filter across to stop passing lanes and a fluid 4-2-3-1 shapeshifts as needed.

All this makes them incredibly tough to play against, for teams to get into the swing of their own approach and to create big opportunities against them – but that same final point has been one of Como’s own issues: consistently creating decent chances.

Areas for improvement

For all that Como have kept teams at bay and stayed undefeated for a long spell, it’s important to add the context that they’ve won three of the last eight and until their most recent game had scored against just one of their previous four opponents, averaging out at around a goal per game across the season. Maybe the midweek 5-1 thumping of Torino marks a turning point there: they created seven big chances and amassed a 2.8 xG, quite the contrast to before that match where their 19 big chances would have placed them 19th out of the 20 top-flight teams. They remain only eighth for xG and seventh for touches in the opposition’s box.

Another factor of that old Spain team serves as a reminder: a lot of possession is dominance, but too much without movement and penetration might become sterile.

It’s unsurprising that Como have some areas to improve, of course – they were only promoted back to the top flight two years ago. Their best finish – seventh in 1950 – is a mere historical footnote and last term’s tenth place was their finest campaign since ninth in 1985/86. They’ve been down to the fourth tier and back since then, so this rise is essentially still in its infancy. It has, of course, been bolstered by off-pitch investment and Cesc’s own network of Spanish stars: Sergi Roberto, Alberto Moreno and Álvaro Morata among others remain decent squad boosters, if not regular starters.

And even Cesc himself will still have plenty of learning and refining to do in terms of his approach, both tactical and regarding man management, and with early improvement can come rapid expectation. But the start has been excellent, and the hype around team and head coach alike is likely to continue to grow.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Serie A with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.