De Zerbi principles, Nico Paz pulling the strings, and relentless rotations — the full FM26 breakdown of Cesc Fabregas' creative Como 4-2-3-1 system.
Since Cesc Fabregas took over as the Como 1907 manager in November 2023 — on an initial interim basis — the club has been continuously growing and improving. In the 23/24 season, Como 1907 secured promotion from Serie B for the first time in 21 years and, in Serie A in 24/25, they have since become an established Italian top-flight outfit... and are now pushing for even greater heights, with their dream of hosting UEFA Champions League football more than in their sights. Let's break down exactly how Cesc Fabregas is making Como fans dream...
De Zerbi-Inspired Build-Up Principles
Like a lot of the most exciting, young managers in the game, Cesc Fabregas has sought to integrate a lot of build-up principles that were initially popularised by former Brighton and Marseille tactician Roberto De Zerbi. In build-up — generally from goal kicks — Como's backline stretches incredibly wide with two holding midfielders dropping to form a 4-2 build-up structure; if Butez, Como's 'keeper, steps up and gets involved, this gives Como up to seven active players in the build-up phase — giving Como a spare man somewhere on the pitch if the opposition press in man-to-man fashion.
As showcased in the example above, Como's back-four stretches very wide across the width of the pitch, whilst the double-pivot is positioned a lot more narrowly. This difference creates more space for the opposition to close down should they press Como high, whilst the double-pivot's narrow positioning creates ideal angles for passing lanes — into the half-spaces, primarily — to be opened up.
It is crucial to note, however, that Como don't exclusively use a 4-2 build-up shape, as right-back Vojvoda is given licence to situationally move higher and wider. In this case, Como's 'keeper will step up even higher to reinforce their 4-2 build-up shape.
How Nico Paz Makes Como's Build-Up Unique
Nico Paz has been a revelation for Como since arriving in 2024 from Real Madrid. Across his two seasons at the club so far, he has scored 16 goals and provided 14 assists, and it's this form that has triggered most of Europe's elite to be tracking the Argentinian wonderkid — although it is anticipated that Real Madrid will trigger their minimal buy-back clause as part of his 2024 transfer.
Nico Paz transcends that of a classic '10' who scores and assists at a high rate: his game intelligence and understanding of space and context is absolutely elite, and he is a massive part of Como's entire gameplan. Most sides that utilise De Zerbi-inspired build-up principles will retain a certain, pre-defined structure beyond that. Como, however, have a very fluid frontline that can create a multitude of different structures throughout the match, and Nico Paz is the catalyst of this. His positioning dictates the movement of those around him, making Como's progression from the build-up phase incredibly flexible and adaptable.
Consistent, Well-Drilled Rotations
Cesc Fabregas has instilled consistent but flexible rotations into his Como side, promoting unpredictability in their in-possession ventures. It's with these rotations, along with the side's natural inclination towards a relationist approach, that makes Como so difficult to defend against — players can seamlessly rotate with one another whilst simultaneously dragging opposition defenders out of position.
Common rotations will see the full-backs interchanging positions with the winger on their respective side, a midfielder dropping deep into the backline to create a situational back-three, and a midfielder pushing higher and interchanging positions with either Nico Paz or the Como striker.
Let's Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
In build-up, Como will look to play out of defence and are relatively brave in doing so: typically, the 'keeper will put the sole of his boot on the ball to draw in the opposition's high-press before distributing short to one of the double-pivot, who can then find one of the centre-backs with a square ball to, ultimately, find the spare man. If the opposition are marking all short passing options, Como are willing to bypass the press with a more direct ball to the striker, who can hold up the ball and bring others into play.
Upon progressing from the build-up phase, Como place an emphasis on retaining possession with short, measured passes, however, they also look to penetrate space in-behind the opposition's defence often, ranking high in Serie A for 'Through Balls' this season. In the final third, Como remain patient in their attacking exploits, using relationist strategies and third-man combinations to break down the opposition's defence. Cesc Fabregas encourages his players to roam from their position often, allowing for potential relationist opportunities to occur, whilst, when Como regain possession, they look to ruthlessly counter-attack.
Out of Possession
When Como don't have the ball, they press the opposition relentlessly to try and regain possession as soon as possible, typically in man-to-man fashion. To supplement this high-press, the defence is instructed to hold a higher line, compacting the space in midfield. If Como's high-press is broken by the opposition, Como are willing to drop deeper and preserve a solid defensive shape — from here, they look to force the opposition into wide areas, where Como can force a throw-in. Finally, when Como lose possession, they instantly work to regain it through a rigorous counter-press.
Opposition Instructions
Player Roles
Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper
In this system, the 'keeper is encouraged to join his teammates in the build-up phase, moving higher to offer himself as an additional passing option and, upon receiving the ball, breaking the lines to find a central player. When Como don't have the ball, the 'keeper is instructed to be active in sweeping any loose balls in-behind Como's defence, along with having the responsibility to claim crosses.
Playmaking Wing-Back | Full-Back
In this system, the full-backs will tend to work in tandem with the wingers ahead of them to determine who positions themselves where: if the winger is holding the width, the right-back will invert and attack the half-spaces, and vice versa. On the right, the right-back (usually Vojvoda) is the more likely to sit narrower, allowing the right winger to hold the width — although the right winger will, at times, invert and occupy the right half-space.
Vojvoda will carry the ball forward at times and can run beyond the right winger, aggressively attacking the space in-behind the opposition's defence in the right half-space — from here, he can look to reach the byline to supply cut-backs into the penalty area. Finally, when Como don't have the ball, both full-backs and wingers close down the opposition as ruthlessly as possible.
(DCR & DCL) Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Centre-Back
Both centre-backs, in this system, share the same responsibilities: both players will initially move wider to stretch the opposition's high-press, before consistently breaking the lines with defence-splitting balls into the centre to penetrate the heart of the opposition. When Como don't have the ball, neither centre-back does anything too fancy — they just focus on their defensive responsibilities.
Wing-Back | Full-Back
On the left side, unlike Vojvoda on the right, the left-back tends to move wider more often, drifting higher towards a typical left winger position as Como progress up the pitch. To add a little more flexibility to the left-back's movements in-possession, the Cut Inside With Ball instruction was applied to encourage situational, micro-rotations within the play.
Box-to-Box Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder
Both players within Como's double-pivot will drop towards the ball in build-up, with the two taking it in turns to drop between the centre-backs and draw the opposition's high-press in. However, as Como progress up the pitch, the right-sided defensive midfielder tends to make runs off the ball to penetrate space and receive the third-man pass. Additionally, this player can, at times, carry the ball forward to initiate these third-man combinations himself.
Deep-Lying Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder
On the other hand, the left-sided defensive midfielder usually drops much deeper and holds his position. However, this player can also move wider to link up with the left-back and left winger, creating situational triangles.
Free Role | Centre Forward
Nico Paz's role, in this system, epitomises a 'free role', wherefrom he can roam wherever he pleases to dictate the movements of those around him — although, typically, Paz will drop into the right-sided half-space in build-up. Upon receiving the ball, Nico Paz possesses incredible unpredictability as he can turn and drive at the opposition, before finding a team-mate with a riskier pass or taking a shot from distance. Finally, Nico Paz also tends to make a lot of runs off the ball, penetrating space in-behind the opposition's defence and/or beyond the striker.
Inside Forward | Tracking Wide Midfielder
Both wingers, in this system, are extremely autonomous. On the right side, the right winger will initially hold the width, allowing the right-back below him to move into the right half-space. However, upon receiving the ball, the right winger can look to exchange positions situationally with the right-back as he cuts inside with the ball — from here, he can look to find a team-mate (usually the right-back) with a riskier pass. Whilst the right winger initially holds the width, he's given licence to roam from his position often, adding another layer to Como's attack. Finally, both wingers are instructed to follow the opposition's full-backs/wing-backs.
Inside Winger | Tracking Wide Midfielder
On the left side, the left winger isn't as unpredictable with his movement when Como has the ball, as he will almost always invert into the left half-space — this creates a strong triangle link between himself, the wide full-back, and the wide defensive midfielder dropping. However, like the right winger, the left winger will initially hold the width on the left side before eventually inverting as play progresses. From this inverted position in the left half-space, the left winger tends to make runs in-behind.
Target Forward | Centre Forward
In this system, the striker plays an important part in Como's in-possession ventures. In build-up, if Como's backline and 'keeper lack viable passing options, they will bypass the opposition's high-press and find the striker, who will hold up play and find Nico Paz running beyond. As Como progress up the pitch, the striker will often drop off the frontline to receive, hold up, and link play with short, simple passes.
Results
Serie A
In Serie A, in testing, we completed the fairytale Italian journey for Como 1907, winning the league in a fantastic season! Of our 38 league games, we won 28, drew 5, and lost the remaining 5, amassing 89 points in the process — 5 points clear of 2nd place. Across our 38 league games, we scored 94 goals (2.47 goals per game) and conceded just 30 goals (0.78 goals per game), the league's best for each metric.
Coppa Italia
Our hopes of a dreamy domestic double in testing were over relatively early, as we were defeated on penalties by Inter Milan — following an initial 2-2 draw — in the Third Round.
Read Also
- FM26 Tactics Hub
- FM26 Best Youth Academies
- FM26 Wonderkids by PA, Price & Position
- FM26 Transfer Budgets
Conclusion
Cesc Fabregas has got Como dreaming! 4th place at the time of writing, and the beautiful nights of UEFA Champions League football are seemingly on the horizon — as such, Cesc Fabregas is a manager in high demand as he is leading Como to unprecedented heights.
If you want a taste of this beautiful tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and make sure to follow FM Blog (@fmbIog) and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
