Latest news with #Fàbregas
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fàbregas discusses the possibility of coaching Barcelona one day!
Could he become FC Barcelona's coach? .. Fàbregas responds Fàbregas / @ FC Barcelona swept aside Italian side Como with a resounding 5-0 victory last Sunday at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, during the traditional Joan Gamper Trophy. The goals came courtesy of forward Fermín López, who struck twice in the 21st and 35th minutes. Brazilian winger Raphinha netted the third in the 38th minute, before Lamine Yamal sealed the rout with a quick-fire brace in the 42nd and 49th minutes. Could he become FC Barcelona's coach? .. Fàbregas responds After the match, Como manager Cesc Fàbregas expressed his admiration for Barcelona's quality of play, highlighting the importance of the fixture to assess his own squad's level: 'We haven't faced a team of this caliber all season. It was a great opportunity to test ourselves.' Asked about the possibility of coaching FC Barcelona one day, the Spaniard replied humbly: 'There's still a long way to go. I'm only 38 and just two years ago I was still a player.' It's worth noting that the Spanish league kicks off next Friday, with Barcelona set to defend their title against Mallorca on the 16th of this month at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.
New York Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why you should bet on Cristian Chivu to win Serie A next season with Inter Milan
For more stories like this, click here to follow The Athletic's sports betting section and have them added to your feed. With two Champions League final appearances and a Scudetto in the last three years, Inter have emerged as one of the world's most formidable clubs. Unfortunately for the Nerazzurri, the man at the helm of that recent run — Simone Inzaghi — is off to the financially green pastures of Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. Advertisement After a few high-profile names were floated around as Inzaghi's replacement, Inter settled on Cristian Chivu. Let's look at the who, ponder the why and, most importantly, evaluate the Italians' odds of winning the 2025/26 title in his first season at the San Siro. At the moment of Inzaghi's departure, several notable figures offered themselves up as respectable replacements. While a few of those individuals — Roberto De Zerbi or Luciano Spalletti — were perhaps the result of agents being, well, agents, one in particular seemed a great bet for the job: Fàbregas. In odds provided by Betfair, the Como manager was favoured at 1/2 odds to take over ahead of Chivu, who sat at 4/1. Having just guided a promoted team to 10th-place in one of the world's most challenging leagues, Fàbregas is proving to be just as good of a manager as he was a player. He would have been a fine choice to continue Inter's run of success were it not for one glaring problem: his tactical approach. Like De Zerbi and Spalletti, Fàbregas almost exclusively uses a back-four system. As someone who is not an avid Como fan, FBref tells us the club only deviated from deploying four at the back just twice all of last season. This contrasts with Inter's recent success, which has been largely attributed to their use of a back three. The system supports pairing together ultra-talented strikers Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram and transforms players like Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries from flawed fullbacks into ferocious wing-backs. It has also protected the defensive frailties of an ageing midfield consisting of Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. More notably, it allowed Champions League semi-final hero Francesco Acerbi to find a way into the starting XI. Advertisement Hiring Fàbregas wouldn't just bring in a manager with an intriguing pedigree to a ready-made side, it would also require Inter to reconfigure their squad or create awkward adjustments for the returning core. Additionally, prising him away from Como after such a historic season would be incredibly difficult; there's no guarantee the Spaniard would've said yes even if Beppe Marotta had come calling. Chivu's brief time at Parma provides a crucial insight as to why he was ultimately Inter's choice and how he may approach the role. In late February, Chivu was hired to stop Parma from slipping deeper into the relegation zone. During his first five games in charge, FBref data tells us that Chivu opted for a back-four system which yielded just four points. However, in their April 5 clash, ironically against Inter, Parma were credited with playing a back three — a system they would use throughout the rest of the season. So, if you're wondering why a cult favourite with almost zero high-level managerial experience bypassed Fàbregas for the job, it likely begins and ends there. When reviewing the Serie A landscape, it's important to remember that defending champions Napoli got lucky. Antonio Conte's men won the Scudetto despite scoring just 59 goals — a tally that actually overperformed their expected goal (xG) mark of 53. Meanwhile, Inter had the best xG differential per 90 minutes of any side in Italy and are retaining most of their talented core. Had Fàbregas been brought on board and initiated a change in the system, fading the Nerazzurri's status as 5/2 favourites would have been a wise decision. Chivu is a complete unknown, but if he retains Inter's philosophy and formation, it makes that bet a lot more tempting. Maintaining the status quo isn't a bad thing when the team that snatched the Scudetto away from you benefited from being fortunate, and the rest of the league seems to be floundering. Advertisement Rivals AC Milan (5/1) just lost their most talented midfielder, Tijjani Reijnders, to Manchester City. Gian Piero Gasperini is leaving Atalanta — another side that finished ahead of Napoli (3/1) in xG differential — for a rebuilding project at Roma. Juventus (5/1) haven't been close to matching Inter's underlying performance for nearly four seasons now and nothing in the Bianconeri's transfer activity suggests that will change anytime soon. Chivu may not be the best manager Inter could have hired, but he is the one most willing to commit to the same Nerazzurri system that has bred the club their enviable success. Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Cristian Chivu: Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images)
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
🔵 Live Scudetto: Napoli or Inter, who wins? Buzzing streets 😍
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here. The hottest and most anticipated Friday of the last few years has begun. A win for Napoli against Cagliari would mean a fourth Scudetto for the blues. In case of a misstep, however, the destiny passes into the hands of Inter, who are expected to face the team of Fàbregas in Como. If the two teams were to finish with the same number of points, everything would be resolved in the playoff scheduled for Monday. Advertisement We are waiting for a very long day, which we will tell you about step by step, with all the most relevant updates. 😍 FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE ALREADY IN THE SPANISH QUARTERS 💪 COMMUNICATION FROM CURVA A The Maradona will be a cauldron like few times seen. While waiting to understand what choreographies are planned for the evening, Curva A invites fans to color it like never before. 🎆 FIREWORKS UNDER THE CAGLIARI TEAM HOTEL Tonight, the blue fans have started to make themselves heard, with chants and fireworks under the hotel that hosts Cagliari - here are all the details.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
🔵 Live Scudetto: Napoli or Inter, who wins? Buzzing streets 😍
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here. The hottest and most anticipated Friday of the last few years has begun. A win for Napoli against Cagliari would mean a fourth Scudetto for the blues. In case of a misstep, however, the destiny passes into the hands of Inter, who are expected to face the team of Fàbregas in Como. If the two teams were to finish with the same number of points, everything would be resolved in the playoff scheduled for Monday. We are waiting for a very long day, which we will tell you about step by step, with all the most relevant updates. 𝑵𝑨𝑷𝑶𝑳𝑰 è già in clima partita 🎶🥳🔵Vi portiamo a fare un giro ai Quartieri Spagnoli, la mattina di #NapoliCagliari 🛵#SerieAEnilive #Napoli #DAZN — DAZN Italia (@DAZN_IT) May 23, 2025 The Maradona will be a cauldron like few times seen. While waiting to understand what choreographies are planned for the evening, Curva A invites fans to color it like never before. 🚨 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐍𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈 - Fuochi d'artificio e lancio di fumogeni davanti all'hotel in cui alloggiano i giocatori del Cagliari‼️#Napoli #Sportitalia — Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) May 22, 2025 Tonight, the blue fans have started to make themselves heard, with chants and fireworks under the hotel that hosts Cagliari - here are all the details.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Proposed Fabregas to Leverkusen move gathers pace
Following the confirmation that Xabi Alonso will be stepping down as Bayer Leverkusen's head coach at the end of the season, the Bundesliga club are now in search of a replacement. The frontrunner for the role appears to be former Spain international Cesc Fàbregas, who is the current coach of Italian side Como. Advertisement According to Bild, the 38-year-old has decided that if he leaves Como, it will be to take up the position at Leverkusen. He has already informed his current club that he is not considering a move to any other Serie A side, according to the German tabloid. The report further suggests that Leverkusen is optimistic about hiring Fàbregas, though the deal has yet to be finalized. Fàbregas, who is also a part-owner of Como, has a special connection with the club. However, following a 3-1 win over Cagliari last weekend, he seemed to hint at a potential summer departure, telling fans, "Whatever happens, I will always be grateful to Como," and expressing his desire to leave behind a "legacy." Reports from Italy have previously suggested that negotiations between Bayer 04 and Fàbregas on a three-year contract are well advanced.
