Cesc Fàbregas was tasked with overseeing the project of FC Como on their promotion to Serie A.
The club made several transfers to strengthen its squad after being promoted from Serie B last season, aiding its fight to remain in the league.
At the start of the season, it looked rough for them, but with some additional January signings, the club is currently in 14th place with 25 points, sitting five points above the relegation zone.
Nobody thought it would be easy— only Leicester City have been able to return to the top flight after demotion successfully.
So, FC Como are sitting around an area that was expected.
However, in this tactical analysis, we will examine Cesc Fàbregas tactics and coaching style as he begins his managerial career.
Cesc Fàbregas Coaching Philosophy
Cesc Fàbregas’ tactical philosophy at Como 1907 emphasises structured build-up play, numerical superiority, and central dominance.
His team primarily operates in a 4-3-3 formation, focusing on short passing sequences and maintaining compact midfield spacing.
He prioritises playing through the middle, keeping multiple players central to facilitate quick ball transitions, and he loves to maintain a solid defensive shape when out of possession in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
One thing Fàbregas loves in his midfielders is versatility.
All his midfield players can rotate and take on different roles during the game, with frequent rotations.
They cycle between the 6, 8, and 10 roles, creating fluidity and rotational movement in midfield.
Fàbregas’ approach is shaped by his playing career under coaches such as Arsène Wenger and Pep Guardiola.
He emphasises control and forward-thinking football.
FC Como 1907 Build-Up Tactics
In the build-up phase, Como has different ways of getting the ball out of the first phase of play.
That’s either with a single pivot looking to come into the scene and disorient the other team’s midfield or by playing a two-man pivot and having two players in that 8/10 role, like in a 4-2-2-2.
In the first phase, we observe a single-pivot dynamic play, where Nico Paz looks to come in deep for the buildup and try to assist with the transition.
He enters an empty space to try to establish numerical superiority in that area, being the open man and deep-lying playmaker.
Notice that the full-backs are not that high in this phase.
He wants them closer to the build-up phase to help in that part of their game.
The second image above shows the movement from the deep-lying playmaker.
The two number 8 midfielders are looking to receive the ball on the half-turn one phase in front, while the other pair of midfielders are positioned ahead of them to try and match the numbers of the opponent’s high press.
FC Como Transition Into Midfield
Midfield movement is key for them.
In transition, Fàbregas likes to have his midfielders move into good attacking areas, as we see above.
The striker shifts with the attack down the wing horizontally, allowing the midfield 10 to move into that open space.
He draws inspiration from his time with Spanish players, where they often played with midfielders who functioned as wingers, characterised by their great movement.
He applies that same philosophy, having his midfield players move into the dangerous zones where attackers could be positioned.
When their backline is past the halfway line but still looking to break the opponent’s defensive block, Fàbregas likes to keep the double pivot in shape so that they can secure the space centrally and have many vertical passing options.
What makes Fàbregas such a unique coach is his team’s micro changes during the game.
His team’s tactics shift flexibly throughout the game.
The best coaches are those who can make quick tactical adjustments, either during the game or by employing multiple tactics depending on the opponent’s setup.
At times, instead of a double pivot with Nico Paz coming in, he will push higher as a 10, and the one pivot will drag the opponent’s players into that zone.
From there, the backline can look to play vertically forward, as in the image above, where the pivot drags the midfield block away, making number 10 a viable option.
FC Como Attacking Tactics
They like to counterattack rapidly when looking to make quick transitions into an attack.
Cesc loves his team to play quick counterattacks, but he sets his team up in a 4-2-2-2 formation when looking to break between the lines quickly.
This allows them to make quick vertical passes forward into one of the attackers, who holds the ball up for the rest of the team to make vertical runs alongside them.
When the counter is on and they are pushing higher, the two players in the second line are now in a double-striker position, with the other two strikers originally moving wide, so there are now four in the attack.
You can see teams like Arsenal employing this often.
They have a double-striker setup and two wingers, creating a very dangerous front four.
Fàbregas is trying to replicate that here, as it leaves the opponent disoriented with too many players attacking on the counter.
It’s a great tactic that certainly requires quality players to execute effectively.
Nico Paz is crucial to Cesc’s setup and the team in attack.
He plays as a connector, switching between midfield roles, but he also has the second-highest number of goals on the team, with six.
As a young talent just getting started in top-flight football, Paz is key to Cesc’s tactical approach.
If Fàbregas ever coaches another club, he will surely look for a world-class midfielder to fill a similar role.
He is also the club’s top opportunity creator, constantly driving the attack forward.
FC Como Out of Possession Tactics
They transition into a 4-1-4-1 when sitting back out of possession, with their wing-backs tucked in to help cover the center and their wingers dropping back to press the opponent’s full-backs.
This allows them to mark the center with more numbers as their full-backs tuck in while their wingers cover the wide areas.
This creates relational numerical superiority in certain zones when shifting from left to right.
One of the issues the team is facing is defending counterattacks.
The three-man backline in attacking mode, combined with only one holding midfielder, can be easily exposed on the counter.
Despite not being the most attacking or threatening team, Juventus can easily play a pass behind.
This highlights one risk of focusing too much on attacking movement: being left vulnerable on the counter.
The work rate and awareness of the defenders in the box must improve.
However, this isn’t something you can necessarily blame on Cesc as the coach; he can’t be in the box defending with his players.
Still, there’s been a reason they conceded silly goals this season, like the one above, where they had six defenders in the box against just three Juventus attackers, yet they still conceded.
This is more of a player problem rather than a tactical one.
They like to trap opponents in wide zones with a high press, which is where they commit most of their fouls.
These areas are high-intensity, and players may panic and commit a foul.
However, we want to examine the three-man midfield line, which is too parallel with each other.
One of them should drop deeper for defensive coverage.
They conceded a silly goal due to a centre-back error, but it could have been prevented with a holding midfielder positioned deep.
Conclusion
Overall, Cesc Fàbregas appears to be a student of Pep Guardiola—innovative and tactically astute.
A Spanish midfielder who played under two great managers, Arsène Wenger and Pep Guardiola, will surely learn a lot.
In addition to his time under Antonio Conte, he has gained experience from numerous coaches at top clubs and in various leagues, gaining an understanding of what it takes to be a great manager.
He plays with a classic Spanish football style, retaining possession, setting up centrally, and looking to break down the opponent’s lines.
His time at Como will be valuable in analysing his tactics and philosophy before certainly making a bigger move to another club in the future.
If we were to take a guess, there is a good chance he could one day return to Barcelona to bring his Spanish coaching style there, where he is comfortable.
