For all the money pumped into the team by the Djarum Group - and it is a lot by Serie A standards - Como haven't got into the Champions League by signing superstars, with the emphasis instead on unearthing hidden gems. Nico Paz is the perfect case in point. The Argentine may have been on Real Madrid's books when Como signed him in 2024, but he'd only made four appearances for the first team. As the man himself told UEFA, "I was essentially a reserve-team player in a lower division. So, coming to Como allowed me to grow and improve a lot, both as a player and as a person. Fabregas has said himself that when it comes to signing players, character is just as important as quality to him - which is why Lucas Da Cunha, who has just broken into France's stellar squad at 25, is Como's captain. However, Fabregas is by no means bound to one way of playing. This is a competitive and incredibly meticulous character who, with the aid of his backroom team, built a database designed to help him figure out how to break down "every tactical structure in football". "I don’t want to be the coach that always has the same way of playing, the same way of attacking and defending," he insisted. "Yes, you have principles and structures. But I want to be as dominant as possible, and nowadays to be dominant, you need to have as many solutions as possible."   submitted by   /u/DirectorTurbulent422 [link]   [comments]