Cesc Fabregas ‘prefers to lose’ than change style after 4-0 battering speaks volumes | OneFootball

Como manager Cesc Fabregas stated that he would “prefer to lose” than be overly defensive and gain a result against Inter Milan after the second-placed Serie A team beat his side 4-0 at the weekend.

Fabregas has made great strides with Como, who are sixth in Serie A after coming 10th last season. The Spanish boss has been married to an offensive style of high pressing and positive football.

That was his downfall against Inter on Saturday, who beat Como 4-0. Rather than accepting that sitting back might have been a useful plan, Fabregas suggested he’d die on his sword.

He said: “You can approach the game defending with a 6-3-1 formation, or 5-4-1, but I prefer to lose even with this result than do that.”

It’s a suggestion that Fabregas is married to his style, in a similar vein to the likes of Russell Martin and Vincent Kompany. That went vastly different for the former than it did the latter.

Martin was a success in the Championship with Southampton, guiding them to the Premier League – check out these betting predictions for this weekend – before his unbending nature saw them relegated in 20th place, before he headed to Rangers and stunk up the joint.

Kompany also guided a Championship club, Burnley, to the top flight, though after their relegation, he was given the Bayern Munich job, as a nod to what could be achieved under his style. He won the Bundesliga last season and this season they’ve looked among Europe’s most formidable sides.

It’s Kompany that Fabregas is most likely to emulate, with Como impressing more than the former Manchester City man’s Burnley did.

There has been a suggestion that City or Barcelona are the two sided Fabregas would soon look to jump to if those jobs opened up.

A look at Como’s stats this season suggest a side with a lot of attacking talent like the aforementioned clubs would thrive under the Spaniard’s tutelage.

Como have the fourth-most goals and shots in Serie A this season, and that they also rank highest for tackles made in the final third shows Fabregas’ desire to press high and always remain on the front foot.

In comparison, Como having the eighth-most tackles in the defensive third is a big drop-off, suggesting they’re more susceptible to being prised open than other big sides are, as a result of their high position.

That’s how Inter hit them hard, with the Serie A giants having less of the ball, making less passes and actually taking less shots.

With more quality all around, Fabregas could have much more success, and it’ll be interesting to see if he always keeps the same gung-ho attitude no matter which side he’s managing, and what the stakes are.