When Pep Guardiola arrived on English shores in 2016, the pundit Stan Collymore wrote a column which effectively told the ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss that his fancy football would simply not work in our league.
‘If he thinks he’s going to turn up and outplay everybody in the Premier League, and pass pretty patterns around teams so they can get a result, he is absolutely deluded,’ he wrote.
‘In fact, he is beyond deluded. And if he thinks he doesn’t need to teach tackling or one-on-one combat in training then he’ll be going back to Spain with his tail between his legs.’
It was a view shared by other experts. Guardiola was going to need to adapt to English football — our way or the highway. A decade on, it is fair to say that the reverse occurred: English football adapted to Guardiola as he defined this generation.
And when he does go back to Spain, he will have a long list of coaches on his tail copying his every move.
Cesc Fabregas, pictured with wife Daniella, is shaking up the established order in Italy
Fabregas’s arrival on the scene has echoes of his Barcelona mentor Pep Guardiola
Fast forward 10 years and something similar, although admittedly on a smaller scale, is happening in Italy, in the paradise of Lake Como.
A young buck from Spain, schooled at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy before winning it all at club level, is rather underappreciated among the established order.
Gian Piero Gasperini, the overachieving ex-Atalanta and now Roma boss, refused to shake his hand after a game. Max Allegri, who has won six Scudettos as manager of Milan and Juventus, called him a ‘child’ and an ‘idiot’.
We are talking about Cesc Fabregas, once of Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea. He has won the league in Spain and England, plus a European Championship and World Cup with his all-conquering national team.
This inspection will go on to explain how and why the 38-year-old manager of Como is one of the brightest young minds in football and why he should be on the shortlists of all big clubs in Europe in the next 18 months.
But first, here are some sticks used to beat Fabregas in Serie A this year. He is a chequebook manager too reliant on Como’s wealthy owners. He is disrespecting calcio traditions by playing a fluid 4-2-3-1 system with no Italians at the heart of the team.
He is an arrogant tactician who talks too much and his tactical discussions in interviews are simply a case of him showing off. Bringing the typical Johan Cruyffian, Guardiola-like Barcelona style of play to Italy is damaging to the league’s identity.
Clearly, like Wrexham are viewed by many fans across British football, Fabregas and Como are disruptors. It is easy to dislike teams winning three promotions in such a space of time but, whisper it quietly, the animosity stems from jealousy.
Como president Mirwan Suwarso has talked about wanting to follow a ‘Disney model’, describing the football and matchday experience as like a ‘theme park’ with separate arms in merchandising and commercial deals.
The Wrexham comparison, therefore, is an easy one. This is backed up by the fact that the club were in Serie D as recently as 2019. Fabregas, who is in the unique position of owning a stake in the club, became manager in Serie B and has held multiple other roles, including player.
Max Allegri was less than impressed with Fabregas’s behaviour when they met
And Fabregas also had a falling out with veteran Gian Piero Gasperini in Serie A
There were British roots before that. He was originally a player and then became part of the managing team alongside Welshman Osian Roberts, formerly an assistant to Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace and Ryan Giggs with Wales. Roberts is still at Como as head of development.
Now Fabregas’s side are aiming to write their own Disney-like fairytale in one of Europe’s most picturesque spots. They are fourth in Serie A with five wins in a row before the recent international break and are dreaming of European football.
Alongside the Wrexham comparison, one could also liken Como to Paris Saint-Germain, mainly due to the financial might afforded them by their billionaire backing. The money comes from Indonesia’s Djarum Group, originally a cigarette manufacturer.
When they first invested, they wanted marquee names. Fabregas, Pepe Reina, Alvaro Morata, Raphael Varane and Sergi Roberto signed, while they also had Dele Alli on their books.
Thierry Henry and Varane are financial backers now. Fabregas is now the star and the recruitment policy is measured. The gem is Nico Paz, the Argentine once on Real Madrid’s books. The 21-year-old has 11 goals and six assists this term. Dele was not a PR stunt but they would never sign a player like him now.
Around 60 people work in their data team and the club have worked with the stats company that fuelled Brighton’s recruitment-led rise, Jamestown Analytics, plus Moneyball architect Billy Beane and Ludonautics, the firm of ex-Liverpool guru Ian Graham.
There is no doubt Como would not be where they are without the financial backing of the Hartono brothers, one of whom, Michael, died a fortnight ago at 86. But let that not detract from the genius of Fabregas, one of the brightest young minds in football.
Before the club were promoted to Serie A last season, Fabregas was a regular pundit across Europe owing to his multi-lingual skills. Listening to him speak was to hear a football intellect pulling on two decades in the sport.
Fabregas’s stellar playing career far from guaranteed he would be a top coach. But maybe the Spaniard, who debuted for Arsenal at 16, was a keen listener.
He has taken bits from Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and also different experiences across three seasons at Monaco, plus 110 caps for Spain. Not many managers in recent memory can top that CV.
Fabregas has an incredible CV from his playing career and is now impressing as a boss
Fabregas and wife Daniella attend Como’s charity gala together
Como are understandably worried about losing him but they have succession plans. Fabregas, it is believed, will be consulted over his eventual successor. At this stage, he is fully committed to the project, with the goal of taking Como to Europe.
When Simone Inzaghi left Inter for Al Hilal last summer, after two Champions League finals and one league title, the Milan club considered hiring Fabregas but ultimately went for Cristian Chivu, who had managed their youth teams before a year at Parma.
With Romanian Chivu’s side top of the table and Como punching well above their weight in fourth, it is likely that this season will see the first non-Italian win Serie A coach of the year since Mourinho in Inter’s Treble-winning 2009-10 season.
Noting Italy’s constant failure on the international stage — failing to qualify for three consecutive World Cups — maybe they will start to appreciate their coaching imports. He may be a threat to the established order but perhaps that should be appreciated.
In truth, they do not all feel cold towards Fabregas. Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti, a doyen of Italian football at 67 with 1,073 matches managed having also bossed Roma, Inter, Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria and the national team, is a big fan.
‘If I were still a player I would like to see him as my coach,’ said Spalletti. ‘I can’t wait to meet him on the pitch and congratulate him properly. I can’t wait to hear his opinion. I’ve always admired him, but now he’s become my idol.’
It is very early days in the 38-year-old’s coaching journey but if his managerial career is half as decorated as his playing days, he will be a roaring success. It has started on the right trajectory.
Suddenly, George Clooney, Richard Branson and Donatella Versace are no longer the most famous residents strolling around Lake Como. Fabregas is the new kid on the block and could soon be coming to a top European club near you.
