Fabregas: ‘Conte was a big shock and Wenger still sends messages’
Cesc Fabregas learned so much from the coaches he worked with, crediting Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, but above all Arsene Wenger. ‘Conte was a big shock.’
The Como coach is only 39 years old and hung up his boots in 2023, going straight into management with the Italian club in Serie B.
In Calcio, there is a battle between so-called Giochisti and Risultatisti, those who want to focus on playing good football, and those who say the result is all that truly matters. He is firmly in the first camp.
Fabregas not just about the result
“I coach the way that I feel. I love the game. If I coach only to get results, I will not do it. I don’t have the necessity to do it,” Fabregas told Telegraph Sport.
“I do it because of the passion and because I want to do it my way. You know, of course, you need to adapt, depending on the group of players that you have.
“But, at the end of the day, you have some beliefs. I could not coach long ball, second ball. Why? Because you need to believe in what you do. You can win in any way, as long as you convince the players and you convince everyone that this is the right way.
“But I have my beliefs. If you want to play long ball, second ball, I’m sorry I’m not your guy, because I don’t feel it. So I will not be able to transmit the fire.”
You can read the rest of his comments from this interview here.
He is trying to adapt all that he learned over 20 years as a player and brings that to this new stage of his career, trying also to avoid the errors he witnessed in the past.
That came from a little black book he started when playing for Arsenal, updating throughout his time at various clubs.
“I started the book when I was 22 or 23, before going to Barcelona, and then I just kept adding to it during my career,” continued Fabregas.
“I referred back to it at the beginning because everything was new. But now, with my experience, every time I’m more confident about what I do. If I’m unsure about something, I could sneak a look and pick a little bit of it, but not so often now.
“The biggest chapters are probably about Arsene, because everything was new, and Conte, because, for me, he was a big shock. Everything was different.”
Conte and Fabregas met at the weekend in a 0-0 Serie A draw between Como and Napoli, having worked together for two years at Chelsea.
“It was the first time someone was telling me where I need to pass the ball. The way he dealt with things, he was very, very tough in certain things. So he made me see a lot of new things and also he learned to trust me.”
The coach he still keeps in touch with the most is Wenger from the early days at Arsenal, who along with Thierry Henry and David Dien have been in the stands to cheer on Como.
“Arsene sends me messages after games, even when we lose or when we win after good performances. He gives me a lot of courage,” concluded Fabregas.