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Controversial, obsessive, a character with a strong personality: is Fabregas ready for a top club?

Will he manage to stay true to himself without getting caught up in the role? An in-depth analysis by Massimo Callegari.

Barcelona’s Catalan roots, the Anglo-French influence ofWenger’s Arsenal, the pragmatism of Mourinho and Conte, Sarri’s ambitious tactical structure. Fabregas’s playing career is a compendium of footballing schools, a vast technical and cultural wealth. But everything you absorbed as a player does not automatically define you as a manager. And indeed, Cesc is building something of his own. In the Italian context, where space is often protected rather than created, it is no small matter to see a team doing exactly the opposite. His Como side is a cultural provocation even before it is a tactical one: a narrow pitch that is constantly widened, rapid passing, wide players involved in a 4-2-3-1 formation neglected by Serie A, young players given responsibility, and risk accepted in the play of every department, including the goalkeeper. Butez, who arrived with solid technical foundations, has made a quantum leap in his ability to read the game, a skill in which he now excels and which makes him the best goalkeeper in Serie A. With him, much like Mourinho did with Lampard when he first arrived at Chelsea, Cesc has worked on his footwork and his decision-making, because he was convinced that Butez had everything it takes to become the number one in these situations. This is how you earn credibility: what you say is seen on the pitch, theory put into practice on the big green field.

And then there is the other aspect: communication, and the interaction – or clash – with the ‘gurus’ on the touchline. From Allegri to Gasperini, who divides opinion among his peers and even among pundits: is this a weakness or a strength, a natural disposition or a strategy? The answer can be summed up in a single word: personality.

Partly bold, partly reckless, Fabregas is showing a great deal of it, even more so given his young age (38) and his status as a manager. It is character rather than strategy, then, supported by a solid environment and a club that protects him, nurtures his talents and empowers him without putting too much pressure on him. And of which he feels an integral part, not only as the first stage of a development process that could—and should—soon take him to a top club, but also as a key figure in attracting players. To the first team, of course, but also to the youth setup, young players who, in their day-to-day lives, absorb from him the profound and forward-looking vision of the club’s project. An idea that Fabregas has shared since his arrival, when he humbly began coaching the Primavera 2 side, a team that was then still to be built from scratch. Despite the difficulties and in spite of his fabulous playing career, it was precisely his ‘primus inter pares’ attitude – not standing on a pedestal – that captivated the lads and the management. He is not at Como just for himself.

Of course, there is no shortage of excesses. Radical decisions (Jacobo Ramón systematically deployed as a second striker in the first half against Roma) and signs of a manager still finding his feet, which nevertheless speak to his courage to take risks.

The move to a top club, sooner or later, will depend on the need to consolidate his approach in less sheltered environments. An intermediate step – a demanding environment but one not obsessed with immediate results (Florence?) – could represent a gradual transition from the perfect reality (Como, where his demands are fully accommodated) to a necessarily imperfect one: the top-tier clubs where ownership often invests, makes decisions and hands the manager a ready-made squad, with the sole mission of delivering results. And if results don’t come quickly, in most cases, it’s ‘thank you, goodbye, next’.

They say his passion for football is visceral, irrepressible, almost uncontrollable. Pure obsession. Like at the club’s Christmas dinner when, despite the festive atmosphere, he couldn’t take his eyes off his tablet as he watched Napoli v Milan in the Italian Super Cup. Neither team would be facing Como in the weeks immediately following, with no imminent fixtures. Just passion. And obsession. Will he manage to remain true to his identity without getting caught up in the persona? The answer to this dilemma holds the key to ensuring that no horizon is closed to him.

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