Cesc Fàbregas tactics: Building up to attack

After a stellar playing career with Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and the Spanish national team, Cesc Fàbregas is taking his first steps into management. Italian club Como announced in November 2023 that Fàbregas would be taking over as interim head coach, at the age of 36. This followed a spell leading the Serie B side’s youth and reserve teams, where he had begun to put his playing principles into practice.

In this, the second of three exclusive Masterclasses with The Coaches’ Voice, he gives an insight into how he wants his teams to build up from the back to create attacks. Using a 4-2-2-2 system, Fàbregas runs through the roles and responsibilities for players in each position, reveals the obsession for playing forwards that he inherited from Arsène Wenger, and explains why he sees the midfield as key to the game. It’s a brilliant insight from an exciting young coach.

In his playing days, Fàbregas worked with a who’s who of managerial greats, including Wenger, Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho, Vicente del Bosque and Antonio Conte. Now he will be putting his own philosophy into practice.