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Discover the surprising tactical nuances of Cesc Fabregas's coaching style. While he emphasizes possession, his true genius lies in his relentless pressing game and adaptable formations. This video breaks down how his strategies could perfectly suit the current Chelsea squad and the demands of the Premier League.
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00:00Chelsea need a new manager.
00:01Unfortunately, a certain ex-player has some of the most exciting tactics in football,
00:05and those tactics seem perfectly suited to the players at Stamford Bridge.
00:10I'm Jacob Oswald, 442's resident tactician, and this is why Cesc Fabregas is the perfect
00:15appointment for Chelsea Football Club.
00:20To understand how things could potentially look for the Blues, we first got to establish
00:25Fabregas' football philosophy.
00:27His Cuomo side have the most possession in the Serie A this season, yet they sit sixth
00:32for most passes per sequence.
00:34Which is important, because contrary to popular belief, Cesc Fabregas isn't just another positionalism
00:40coach.
00:41Fabregas playing under Pep in that style leads people to believe he's part of the Pep dynasty,
00:45but he isn't.
00:47Not really.
00:48Yes, the centre-backs will split and build up, the full-backs will go high and wide, and the
00:52central midfielders will come in short to try and receive the ball.
00:55Which is a pattern that many would associate with that typical possession football.
00:59But Cesc Fabregas isn't a typical coach, and has his own little tweaks to change that build-up.
01:04In possession, they will always try and have this back four at the back.
01:08Which means when the attackers get the ball, they can take more risks, because they've got
01:11that safety net of a back four already waiting behind them.
01:14For example, on the opposite side of the ball, they go man-to-man.
01:17This pushes the Genoa defenders over and creates 1v1s on the ball side of the pitch.
01:21Those rotations of players into different zones are constant and fluid.
01:25Which is why Cuomo can play in small overloads consistently and get at the opposition.
01:30But he's not just this attacking, inventive coach.
01:33Fabregas wants his team to really, really press the opposition relentlessly.
01:37I mean, no team has scored more goals from high turnovers than Cuomo have this season.
01:43Which is really the way Fabregas separates himself from the typical possession and control
01:48first managers.
01:49This situation is common in Cuomo's press.
01:52They try to force the opposition to play that pass towards the touchline so they can
01:55cut off all the passing angles and really hound the player who receives it in the wide areas.
02:00They do that by having this winger mark off the back passing option with three Cuomo players
02:04already ready to jump to try and pin that guy who's about to receive it by the touchline.
02:09Then being man-to-man and having that eagerness to jump onto the next pass means that the pressing
02:14distances are constantly minimal for Cuomo.
02:16Which means they can constantly apply loads of pressure to the ball.
02:20Now considering they have the most possession in Serie A, that is quite surprising.
02:25A high intensity press constantly looking to turn the ball over isn't something you would
02:29typically associate with one of the highest possession teams in Europe's top 5 leagues.
02:33But Cuomo have the fewest passes against per defensive action in Serie A this season despite having
02:39loads of the ball.
02:41So as much as having a lot of the ball, playing free flow and attacking football is important.
02:46Being absolute hound dogs who try and nick the ball at every opportunity is also a key
02:51philosophy that Cesc Fabregas has.
02:53Now for the real question.
02:55Why have I emphasised these key points of Cesc Fabregas's football?
02:59From the pressing to the attacking rotations to the build up play?
03:03Well, because this blend of idealism and pragmatism is perfectly suited to not just Chelsea but
03:09the modern state of the Premier League.
03:11This was Liam Rossinia's last line up for Chelsea.
03:13The team speaks for itself, a runner up top, two high intensity wide players and a somewhat
03:18technical midfielder.
03:20Yet, Chelsea in that game had just 47% possession.
03:24Now, possession isn't the end of the world and you can win games without having a lot of the ball.
03:27But Liam Rossinia is someone who puts possession at the forefront of his footballing ideas.
03:32Which means that his rest defence can be a little bit weak as he looks to bomb players
03:36forward to try and control games.
03:38Which obviously led to them conceding three goals to Brighton.
03:41Fabregas finds the midpoint.
03:42He finds something between possession football and pragmatism and security.
03:46Chelsea, so he changes Chelsea entirely.
03:49The back line would look something like this, with everyone fitting.
03:52These full backs are essential.
03:54At times, the full back will hold the width if their winger goes central.
03:57They'll then be encouraged to be a winger themselves and take their man on.
04:01That, as a result, pulls the opposition toward the ball and gives space for the winger to operate
04:05in that central area.
04:07However, the full backs aren't exclusively width holders.
04:10They're not always getting chalk on the boots by the touchline.
04:12If the winger is by the touchline and looks to go direct toward the goal on the outside,
04:16then the full back role changes.
04:18They'll be expected to make darting runs on the inside to overlap and give the winger a wide 1v1.
04:24Basically, these lads, their in possession job rotates around what these blokes want to do.
04:28If they go inside, the full back goes outside.
04:30If they go outside, the full back goes inside.
04:32It's somewhat basic stuff on paper, but their out of possession job,
04:36that becomes a lot more complicated for the team.
04:39The left back commits high to join the press here,
04:41which means this central midfielder has dropped back in to maintain Komo's back four at all times.
04:45Which, as we've mentioned, is essential.
04:47So, when we look at this team, naturally, Kukurea and Rhys James are the ideal fits.
04:52When we look at them on an athletic level, Kukurea will be happy to jump and join that press,
04:56and Rhys James and Kukurea both have the technical level to serve in those final third moments.
05:01But that leads us onto our midfielders.
05:03Who do we have at the core of a potential Cesc Fabregas Chelsea team?
05:07Well, the midfield's quite a nice area for Chelsea.
05:09It's something that Blueco have actually built somewhat well.
05:13And there's a few players you could fit into these roles.
05:15Moises Caicedo has played as a full back previously,
05:18and his ability to cover distance and win duels at a ridiculous rate makes him pretty perfect
05:23for that kind of filler role, that holding midfield destroyer position.
05:27So that gives us our back line. It gives us one of our midfield pivot players.
05:31But what about the partner?
05:33Well, Fabregas' midfield often becomes more of a triangle,
05:35with this holding player being the one who usually does that auxiliary filling in at full back and in defence.
05:40Which is positive news for the Chelsea squad and the way Chelsea have been built.
05:45We saw at the weekend that Leeds tried to target Enzo Fernandes,
05:48trying to get him into 1v1s by pinning Malo Gusto on the inside.
05:52Now, they did that not only because Noah Okafor is good in 1v1s,
05:55but more so because Enzo Fernandes isn't good in 1v1s.
05:58He's not a good wide defender.
06:00So if he was to slot in here and we move things to be a little bit more like this,
06:04then Enzo Fernandes could be a really, really nice option for Fabregas if he comes to Chelsea.
06:09His ability to get into the box and score goals whilst also be a serious central creative threat,
06:14having the second most expected assists in the Chelsea squad this season,
06:18is ideal for Fabregas' risky, rotation-based football.
06:22So that's the foundation sorted from the back four to the two deeper midfielders.
06:25But we need the number 10 fixing because that's a really important role.
06:28Here, we see that 3-4 build-up common in Fabregas' football.
06:32You've got two central players who've come deep to receive the ball from the back line.
06:35But one of those players is the attacking midfielder.
06:39Him taking up this position here means that his actual marker doesn't want to commit that high to
06:44press him, which means he can receive on the half turn and then drive into a ton of open space.
06:49That attacking midfielder is Nico Paz, one of the most exciting young players in world football,
06:54who has been given license to roam pretty much freely within the structure at Como.
06:59But Chelsea don't have a Nico Paz. They've got to call Palma.
07:02For me, Palma fits into that role perfectly,
07:04and he could really build some nice rotations with someone like Enzo Fernandes.
07:08Because Palma, at his best, receives in all areas and is given that creative freedom to almost
07:14do what he wants, because he's cold with it.
07:19That's one of the worst jokes we've had, I reckon.
07:22But it is somewhat right, because Pochettino was the one who gave
07:25Cole Palma the best season he's ever had, really, by giving him that license to do whatever he wanted.
07:31The last two Chelsea managers have stripped that away from him.
07:34Enzo Moresca had that positionalist approach where he tried to keep things very rigid to secure
07:39Chelsea out of possession whilst also creating chances.
07:42Liam Rossini has similar ideas, but in more of an attacking emphasis manner and a weaker out
07:46of possession approach. But in both teams, Cole Palma has suffered.
07:49So putting him in that number 10, giving him that free rule to operate wherever he wants to go,
07:55could get Cole Palma back to his very best.
07:57But before we get into who Palma will be supplying in the Chelsea attack,
08:00a quick one for me to tell you about our latest offer here at 442.
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08:08Whether you're signing up for a short-term six-month deal, or you have plans to go a little bit
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08:23the World Cup issue, completely free. It comes with a World Cup wall chart and supplement as well.
08:29So the link's in the description if you want to get on it, and I don't know why you wouldn't.
08:33But for now, let's get back to the video, because we've got to work out who Fabregas is going to
08:37have
08:37scoring his goals, if he comes to Chelsea. Now, the wide players in Cesc Fabregas' team have
08:42many different roles. Both of them need to be able to shift inside to link with the central players
08:47and the overlapping full-back, but we also need them to go very, very direct. Jesus Rodriguez and
08:54Martin Batarina both sit in the top five corner players for shots per 90, whilst also sit in the top
08:59five for successful dribbles per 90. Now, Chelsea definitely have an interesting set of wingers.
09:05They've got Ganacho and Neto, who are both very direct, but with minimal output, and are really
09:12secure in position, which could be a problem for Cesc Fabregas. However, William Estevaux has to be in
09:18this team. He's someone who is a shoo-in. So, Bosch, that's our right winger, but the left winger,
09:22that's a little bit more difficult. I think a new arrival would be best, someone who can shift on the
09:27inside and rotate with the midfielders to create those small space overloads, which is pretty mental that
09:32we're talking about trying to get a more technical winger considering how much Chelsea have spent,
09:37but it is the reality.
09:39For now, I think I would lean towards Pedro Neto. Out of possession, he is relentless,
09:43which is key to Fabregas' philosophy. He also has that ability to be really, really direct,
09:48even if the end product isn't there. To be honest with you, out of a bad bunch of players to
09:54fit
09:54Fabregas, Neto's probably the best option.
09:57So, we've got pretty much the full team, but we've got to go upstairs now to the striker.
10:01Who is going to score the goals? Well, it's Jao Pedro. Jao Pedro is in every day of the week,
10:07and twice on a Sunday. A Fabregas striker needs to be able to occupy defenders in the box to create
10:12space for that front three behind him to create chances. They also need to be a relatively dominant
10:18force to be able to win balls that come into the area and hold up play, and we also need
10:23them to
10:23join in with some cheeky rotations, if needs must. Fortunately, Jao Pedro can do all of them things.
10:29He has such a high technical and physical flaw, that means he can play in pretty much any system
10:34under pretty much any manager. So, this is the potential team if Fabregas takes over Chelsea,
10:40ladies and gentlemen, which would be a generational appointment, in my opinion. His football is the
10:44way forward for Europe's top clubs. It blends pragmatism with nice attacking control possession football.
10:49So, would you be happy with Cesc Fabregas, or is it even a chance of Chelsea luring him away from
10:56Como?
10:56He's got a pretty exciting project going on over there. Let me know in the comments below,
11:00because this is going to be an interesting summer for Chelsea, as it usually is at Chelsea Football
11:04Club under Blueco. I'm Jacob Alls fault, this has been 442. We'll be back next week with some more
11:10beautiful tactical analysis.
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