"The biggest chapters are probably about Arsene, because everything was new, and Conte, because, for me, he was a big shock. Everything was different." That's Cesc Fabregas — 39 years old, 18 months into management at Como — reflecting on the coaches who shaped him, and you can hear the weight behind both names.
The context matters here. Fabregas and Conte faced each other in Como's 0-0 draw with Napoli last weekend — first time on opposite sides of the touchline since their two years together at Chelsea. It's a strange loop: the player who once had Conte dictating exactly where to pass the ball now sits in the same dugouts as him.
A little black book and a very clear identity
Fabregas started keeping notes on coaching when he was 22, before leaving Arsenal for Barcelona. Every manager, every session, every idea worth stealing — logged. Wenger got the most pages. Conte got the most surprises.
"It was the first time someone was telling me where I need to pass the ball," he said of his time under the Italian. High praise wrapped in mild bewilderment. Conte's methods were a system shock — but Fabregas absorbed them, and Conte, eventually, learned to trust him.
What's clearest from this interview is that Fabregas has no interest in being pragmatic for pragmatism's sake. "If I coach only to get results, I will not do it," he told Telegraph Sport. "I love the game." Long ball, second ball — he's not interested. It's a position that might raise eyebrows in Italian football's eternal Giochisti vs. Risultatisti debate, but he's planting his flag firmly in the former camp.
Whether Como's results back him up over a full Serie A season will be the real test of that conviction. They're not world-beaters, and playing pretty in the bottom half of Serie A carries risk. Their odds to stay up will hinge on how well he translates philosophy into points.
Wenger is still watching
The emotional core of all this? Arsene Wenger. The former Arsenal manager — who, along with Thierry Henry, has actually been in the stands at Como — messages Fabregas after matches. Wins, losses, good performances. Still showing up.
"He gives me a lot of courage," Fabregas said. For a first-time manager navigating Serie A at 39, that's not nothing.
