"Cesc Fabregas found himself standing in front of the TV cameras, trying to explain a scoreline that made no sense. It's not normal, he had insisted last month, after Como lost 3-1 to Milan despite making 700 passes to their 200 (659 to 320, actually, but who's counting?). Yet there was more than a hint of deja vu on Sunday as his team drew 0-0 at home to Atalanta while holding 79% of possession and attempting 28 shots."
"Opta put Como on 5.24 expected goals the second-highest figure accrued by any Serie A team in a shut-out since the analytics company started tracking such data 15 years ago. An astonishing number, against opponents who finished third in Serie A last season and who had taken 13 points from their previous five games."
"[As a player] I won with Antonio Conte, I won with [Jose] Mourinho, I won with [Arsene] Wenger, I won with [Pep] Guardiola, he said. I won with every different style of play. You'll never hear me say that one works and another doesn't. If you only care about the result, you can still lose a lot. And when it's all play the ball, play the ball' you can lose a lot that way too."
Como dominated possession and generated a staggering 5.24 expected goals but drew 0-0 at home to Atalanta. The match featured an eighth-minute red card for Honest Ahanor, after which Atalanta removed forward Gianluca Scamacca and retreated into a low block. Como produced 79% possession and 28 shots but failed to convert chances, continuing a pattern of predictability under Cesc Fabregas. Earlier Como had lost 3-1 to Milan despite huge passing superiority. Fabregas defended his single-minded approach, citing wins under varied managers and warning that focusing solely on results or possession can both lead to losses.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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