Fabregas: ‘Como all I could’ve dreamed of, Arteta doing great at Arsenal’ | OneFootball

Cesc Fabregas reveals what prompted him to begin looking into a coaching career, why he chose ‘long-term project’ Como and why he admires Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

The 37-year-old is the youngest coach in Serie A and spent his playing career at Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea and Monaco before the move to Como as a free agent in 2022.

They were in Serie C at the time, but he already had an eye on the next step in his career, which would also be at this club in a different role.

“When I was 32 years old, COVID hit and the league stopped in France, so I was sat at home for five months and started the UEFA B course,” explained Fabregas at the Festival dello Sport event in Trento.

“For that I spoke to many coaches about all sorts of subjects, including fitness training. I talked to statistical analysts, discussed tactical systems. We created this database of information and my passion for this had become a reality.

“As a player, my mind told me that one career was coming towards the end and another was about to start. I just didn’t have the hunger for it anymore.

“Mentality is the most important thing for a player and I was very self-destructive, I always thought it was my fault, but the positive is that I then focused on improving what went wrong in the next training session.”

Fabregas brings experience as player to coaching role

The decision to come to Como was a surprising one, especially as the club had recovered from bankruptcy and was still in the Italian third division.

“I really liked the project and I wanted a long-term project. I knew that I could end my playing career here and start that of a coach, so that was all I could possibly dream of. It is an ambitious project, but we are only at the beginning. We know where we want to end up,” assured Fabregas.

His vast experience as a player in different countries helped the Spaniard to pass some of that wisdom on to his own squad, as well as give him authority in their eyes. So how does Fabregas deal with defeat?

“Very badly, but now I know that I have to focus on leading the players and the staff, so if I am negative after a defeat, then the others will be too. I am very demanding with my players, but within limits. I experienced it all as a player and know how they feel, which can be an advantage. I still have to keep a certain distance from them.”

Among his teammates from the past is Arteta, who is now challenging to win the Premier League with Arsenal.

“Arteta is a great coach and will become even better,” assured Fabregas.

“He is doing a wonderful job at Arsenal and he takes the same path that we want to follow: stability, with a real project in place. I am fortunate to be in a solid club and my dream is to take Como as far as possible. I see myself being here for many more years.”