'Send us a fax!' - Como boss Cesc Fabregas brutally trolled by AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta over tactical complaints

After guiding Como to Serie A safety last season, this term, Fabregas has them pushing for European football. They currently sit sixth in the league, and he has got them playing an attractive brand of football. In the last year or so, he has been linked with former club Chelsea, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, but for now, he remains at Como. Indeed, former Spain team-mate Pepe Reina, who spent last season at Como, has hailed the 38-year-old's "highly qualified" pedigree.

He said in September: "He's a well-rounded coach, with a deep knowledge of football and an uncommon curiosity. He watches countless matches to constantly seek out new insights. He's very professional and passionate, and his staff is highly qualified."

During his time at Como, Fabregas has reportedly developed a reputation for complaining excessively when things don't go his way, while voicing his disapproval over certain styles of play. And according to ex-Monza boss Nesta, the former Arsenal midfielder made disparaging remarks about the tactics the Italian deployed when they met last season.

Nesta said to DAZN: "There are many types of football and the one who wins is right, then you may like it or not. The coach (AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri) has won a lot. Today, there is Fabregas, who plays good football. Last year he complained after drawing with my Monza. He came up to me after the match and criticised us for playing man-to-man in defence. Years ago, it bothered him that Italians played catenaccio (a defensive system). There’s always something."

He finished off with a rather sardonic remark. 

"Maybe the best solution is for him to fax us all of us Italian coaches after his university lectures and explain how we’re allowed to play football so that he’ll finally be satisfied," he added.

Despite being a relative novice in management, Fabregas is making a name for himself in this line of work - after enjoying a stellar playing career for club and country. Indeed, when asked about links to Milan, he smiled but insisted he was happy at Como.

Last May, he said: "Journalists always know a lot more than me. I am very calm, and I repeat, as I said last week, I cannot say anything about anything because nothing has happened. Meanwhile, I continue to work with the same energy and strength as always. There’s nothing new, if there’s any news I’ll tell you right away. But at the moment, there is nothing."

Fabregas' Como side are back in Serie A action on Tuesday when they face the division's bottom side Pisa. Como sit three points behind fourth-placed Juventus, plus they have a game in hand. So if results go their way, they could leapfrog Roma and Juve into fourth this week.