Serie A pundit: What Fabregas has in common with Guardiola, Mourinho, Wenger and Sarri

Former Inter and Udinese boss Andrea Stramaccioni explains what Cesc Fabregas has in common with some of his ex-coaches, including Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho and Maurizio Sarri.

The Azzurri beat Napoli 2-1 at the Stadio Sinigaglia on Sunday, moving seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Spanish legend Fabregas is in his first season in Serie A, but his playing style resembles that of some of his former coaches.

“It’s difficult to say exactly what each coach has taken from their mentors when they were players, but I can certainly say what I see,” Stramaccioni told Gazzetta.

“I definitely recognize Conte’s demand for intensity in Fabregas and the relentless drilling of his players, with or without the ball, to pursue what they need to do.”

Serie A pundit: What Fabregas has in common with Guardiola, Mourinho, Wenger and Sarri

Fabregas made his debut in professional football at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, and Stramaccioni sees similarities even with the ex-French coach.

“I can see the movements on the flanks, from the rotation of the full-backs to the movement of the attacking wingers, who don’t necessarily play wide but, depending on the development of the play, suddenly become additional central strikers, like in Diao’s goal against Napoli,” said Strama.

“This is also how Cesc manages to create defensive reading problems for opponents, just as Arsene did with legends like Pires and Overmars.”

Unsurprisingly, there are also common traits with Pep Guardiola.

“I have no doubt: the midfielders’ passing game, the persistent short-play approach in midfield,” said the ex-Italian tactician.

“With the recovery of Maxi Perrone as a deep-lying playmaker and with Caqueret and Da Cunha playing as box-to-box midfielders, Nico Paz has been playing as a ‘false 9,’ and this ‘tiki-taka on the lake’ has become even more pronounced. A small observation: three out of the four players just mentioned are left-footed, which is quite unusual.”

During his time at Chelsea, Fabregas played 69 games under José Mourinho, scoring six goals and providing 27 assists.

“The coach, the team, and players form a united team with a single goal: to follow their leader and win together. In this, Fabregas also relies on key figures, such as charismatic leaders in the dressing room who are devoted to the project, like Reina. Mourinho always had leaders in every dressing room, from Ricardo Carvalho to Marco Materazzi, to name just a few of his loyalists.

“I do see a strong similarity with Sarri in the guidance given to the deep-lying playmaker, a key aspect of ‘Sarri-ball’,” continued Stramaccioni.

“The playmaker must always make themselves available to teammates in build-up play, in order to throw off the timing and disrupt the balance of the opponent’s first pressing line.”

Fabregas played under Sarri at Chelsea, making just 16 appearances, but Stramaccioni still sees a significant influence from the ex-Juventus, Napoli and Lazio coach.

“Fabregas is very young but has clear ideas,” concluded Stramaccioni.

“Despite all the influences he may have absorbed throughout his extraordinary playing career, those ideas are the result of personal reworking: Cesc remains the creator of a vision that is uniquely his own.”

Como’s next game is away at Roma on Sunday, March 2.

The Azzurri sit 13th in the Serie A table with 28 points in 26 games.