Serie A<\/a> but also deploy a high-intensity press. They have the division\u2019s meanest defence but are easy on the eye and have scored more than anyone bar Inter.<\/p>\n\u201cInnovation is very important,\u201d F\u00e0bregas says shortly after his pre-Napoli press conference. \u201cBut more than innovation is new ideas. You have to comprehend your own team, to see where your team is. We have a very young team, one of the youngest teams in Europe, so we have to be very aware of that. Everyone has their own timing of development.<\/p>\n
\u201cI push a lot. I try to set the standards quite high depending on what they give me and how open they are to new things and to grow and to get better and to listen. We always try to bring players here that are humble enough, are hungry enough, to be able to listen and to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mirwan Suwarso, president of Como since the takeover by Indonesia\u2019s Djarum Group in 2019. Photograph: Marta Clinco\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
The press conference itself, F\u00e0bregas handled masterfully. He was engaged and, at times, spoke passionately. Attempts to draw a clickbait headline were glided past in the same effortless way he picked passes in his prime with Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and Spain.<\/p>\n
He is obsessive, regularly spending 16-hour days at Como\u2019s Mozzate training ground. But he is relaxed and, despite the infancy of his coaching career, able to laugh at his own mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at when we got promoted from Serie B to Serie A and I look at the team doing certain things that at the time were working wonders for us and now I\u2019m saying: \u2018I would never do this in my life,\u2019\u201d he says grinning. \u201cI do want to look back and remember that it\u2019s been a long way and that we were humble enough and open-minded enough to be always constantly growing and getting better, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
F\u00e0bregas joined Como as a player in August 2022, retiring the following summer and immediately beginning to coach the primavera (under-19) team.<\/p>\n
In November 2023 he became interim first-team manager. F\u00e0bregas then assisted Osian Roberts who is now head of development \u2013 while he completed his coaching badges. After the pair secured promotion, F\u00e0bregas was appointed permanent manager. Como finished 10th in Serie A the following season.<\/p>\n
Osian Roberts, who as head of development is looking to secure Como\u2019s long-term success. Photograph: Marta Clinco\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
To outsiders Como\u2019s ascent has seemed seamless but it has required meticulous management. \u201cYou have to be very careful about group dynamics,\u201d says Roberts, who arrived on minority shareholder Thierry Henry\u2019s recommendation. \u201cKeeping the chemistry is not easy with such a high turnover of players, which was a risk but a necessary one.\u201d.<\/p>\n
As counterbalance, F\u00e0bregas brought in players \u201csome of whom he\u2019d played with, that he knew would help really manage the dressing room at crucial times\u201d. Examples last season included the now retired Pepe Reina and Rapha\u00ebl Varane. The latter remains involved as an invester \u2013 F\u00e0bregas also hold shares \u2013 a club ambassador and a director, providing strategic advice and playing an active role in the club\u2019s youth focus.<\/p>\n
Regular substitutes this year, including last Sunday, have been \u00c1lvaro Morata and Sergi Roberto, both Champions League winners. While each has passed their lofty peaks, they are invaluable, within the playing group and among fans.<\/p>\n
Take Morata, who before the match tried to high-five a mascot only for an official to accidentally intervene. A second later Morata doubled back to ensure the youngster did not leave disappointed. Small things create lasting memories.<\/p>\n
Como\u2019s headline grabbers, though, have been the young stars. Argentinian Nicol\u00e1s Paz, 21, is a silky No 10 with 18 league goal involvements this season. He has also won the third most tackles in the league. Paz was signed for \u20ac6m in 2024, with Real Madrid retaining a buy-back clause for the next two summers.<\/p>\n
Como\u2019s relationship with Madrid is a strong one, with \u20ac2.5m centre-back Jacobo Ram\u00f3n, 21, this season\u2019s standout arrival. Other young signings excelling include Lucas Da Cunha, \u00c1lex Valle, Assane Diao and ex-Manchester City man M\u00e1ximo Perrone.<\/p>\n
F\u00e0bregas has the final say, but leans heavily on a recruitment team headed by Barend Verkerk. As a child, the Dutchman played Football Manager by exporting data into a spreadsheet and inputting his own algorithms. Now he is \u201cin charge of putting the names on the table\u201d, with a data scout, six full-time scouts (including one each in key-focus regions Scandinavia and Spain), three tactical analysts and two sports psychologists all reporting to him.<\/p>\n
Roberts\u2019s role is now wider. He is there to build the future foundations. \u201cThere are two things that have always been close to my heart,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cDeveloping players and developing staff. If we can continue to do that then they will help the club to form a strong foundation that will be here for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
The women\u2019s team have just been promoted to Serie A for the first time, while the primavera are a final-day win from also achieving that.<\/p>\n
Barend Verkerk, director of recruitment at Como, developed his own algorithms for Football Manager in his youth. Photograph: Marta Clinco\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Sustainability will be key to Como\u2019s long-term success. The most recent accounts show a pre-tax loss of \u20ac105.1m, although Suwarso likens them to a \u201cstart-up\u201d and is aspiring for profitability within two years. However, while the stadium will receive a facelift and a few thousand new seats in 2027, it cannot hope to compete with neighbours Inter and Milan commercially. At least, not conventionally.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to become, what was trending at the time, a multi-club ownership model,\u201d Suwarso says. \u201cWe wanted to become what we call the multi-club servicing model. Everything we\u2019ve learned in Como can be offered as a service to other sports organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Examples of such learnings include software for data analytics, player behaviour analysis software, and health tracking. \u201cThe football team is proof of concept.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then there is the tourist element. The club\u2019s website offers a variety of premium lake-side packages, while hospitality packages are sold out well in advance and attract celebrities. Visitors have included the actor Damian Lewis and UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett.<\/p>\n
Fashion is vital, too, with designer Rhuigi Villase\u00f1or appointed as chief brand officer. Adidas now make Como\u2019s kit, while collaborators include Rhude \u2013 Villase\u00f1or\u2019s LA streetwear brand \u2013 and Italian suit makers Brioni. As part of its multi-club servicing model, Rhude 4 Fans will provide capsule collections for clubs including Everton and Tottenham.<\/p>\n
Cesc F\u00e0bregas before Como\u2019s recent Serie A match against Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. Photograph: Nicol\u00f2 Campo\/LightRocket\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Within all of this, there has been a conscious effort not to alienate history. There is little crossover in the Venn diagram of Como citizens and those who occupy the glitzy hotels around the lake or can afford \u20ac500 for a pair of designer shorts.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything that we do, we try to make sure that the interests of the core fans are protected,\u201d Suwarso says, adding that season-ticket holders from the club\u2019s Serie C days still pay virtually the same for entry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are foreigners who came here to manage an Italian soccer team. The people of Como are very proud of their origin. They have their own culture. When we first came, we immediately tried to learn what is the core of our fans. What do they want? What do they stand for? Who are they?<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we developed our branding and communication strategy, which is basically the DNA of the team itself, we agreed that we have to become something truly Como. That\u2019s why we picked up the slogan \u2018Semm Cumasch\u2019 \u2013 \u2018We are Como\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Truly Como is becoming truly special. The club is just taking off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The serene sound of lapping water is broken only by the whir of a seaplane engine swooping to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":655688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-655687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/655688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}