Cesc Fàbregas has got everyone talking. His Como side thrashed France's Lens 9-1 in the Champions League, a historic result that has put the Spaniard's project firmly in the spotlight.
The results are one thing. What really intrigues people is the model Fàbregas has built, one rooted unmistakably in his Barcelona past.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Como president Mirwan Suarso revealed the inspiration behind the ambitious plan in comments published by Sport.
He made no secret of it. Barcelona are the standout model the Italian club look to for ideas.
"As for our footballing philosophy, we want to resemble Barcelona," Suarso said. "We want to rely on ball possession, advanced pressing, control of possession, and offering attractive football."
A La Masia graduate himself, Fàbregas knows intimately the style that turned Guardiola's Barcelona into a global reference point.
Now in Italy, he applies everything he learned, whoever the opponent. Yet Suarso's bet on the Barcelona model stretches further than Fàbregas himself sitting in the dugout.
"We start from our footballing identity," the president said. "What kind of football do we want to offer? And how do we want to play? We want this identity to remain constant even after numerous changes at the level of coaches."
Put simply, Como do not want their style tied exclusively to Fàbregas.
Barcelona aren't the only template, though. Suarso knows the club's growth also hinges on sporting planning and unearthing talent, and on both fronts he looks elsewhere for inspiration.
"If we talk about the discovery of talent, it is clear that Brighton and Brentford have become the two models that all clubs look to," Suarso explained. "At the same time, we try to find players who do not receive sufficient recognition, but who are capable of adapting to our system, relying on models similar to those used by Brighton and Brentford."
So far, it's working beautifully. In just a few years Como have climbed from the lower reaches of Italian football to trading blows with Europe's heavyweights.