COMO, ITALY – APRIL 12: Como 1907 manager Cesc Fabregas watches the Serie A match between Como 1907 and FC Internazionale at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on April 12, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Ruzzani/Getty Images)
Cesc Fabregas explains how he selects Como’s players and warns that tactical preparation in Serie A is so complex that sometimes “you can’t understand what’s going on.”
The Spaniard has a wealth of experience having played for Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and AS Monaco, all of which he has put to use in his impressive coaching career at Como.
He led the team from Serie B to Champions League qualification in just two years with a combination of investment from President Mirwan Swarso and a data partnership with Jamestown Analytics.
However, he also argues that what data cannot do is the human touch.
Fabregas needs to know Como’s players
“The first thing we look at is the person. In the first meeting with a player, I don’t talk about football. I only talk about their personal life,” Fabregas told The Athletic.
“I want to identify their mentality and explain who we are, how we do things and how we work. The players and the families are more important than anyone else. You mark some clear points about the culture of the team and the club and then we start talking about football.”
“I believe in them blindly, but when a coach blindly believes in a player, there are always things you can’t control. But you can always get the best out of that player or outperform the person who brings them in. They have good data, but the coaches don’t trust the players or they don’t know.”
Explaining how many other clubs operate, you can understand why he is in no hurry to leave Como, where he has absolute control over the sporting side.
“What I don’t understand is that sometimes clubs sign players without talking to the coach, or without the coach studying and talking to the player. It’s the coach who has to get these players to play and get better.”
Fabregas said Serie A was like a “university of football” for the coach and he had seen opposition teams adapt to his Como style over the past few months.
“A lot of teams here are thinking about how to eliminate by pressing and defending rather than attacking,” he explained.
“That means teams that want to win have to be ready to break through defenses that are built to hurt and kill. This requires more attention to detail.”
“How do you avoid man-to-man duels with a team that is not physically the strongest? We are a team with talent and technical ability. Physically we are not animals. We are not animals.”
“Let’s put it this way: They want to put you in a dueling context. They know you’re going to play. So you have to try to get them into uncomfortable positions and attack their weaknesses.”
“Winning in Italy, believe me. They say it’s difficult because there are a lot of 0-0s and 1-0s. Believe me. I analyze a lot of football. I watch Bundesliga, La Liga and the Premier League. The team’s defense is completely different from the defense in Italy. Winning in Italy is very, very different. It’s very difficult to win in Italy.”
“If you look at a Premier League team, you see their structure. You see what they are trying to do. You see the style they want to apply. It’s often not possible here. It’s impossible to understand what’s going on. That’s why you have to pay close attention to the details,” Fabregas concluded.
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