Two iconic Premier League midfielders have tried to take their expertise into the dugout, and they are experiencing contrasting fortunes with their clubs as head coaches. One continues to ascend, while the other is watching himself succumb to the same fate as so many before him.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Cesc Fàbregas located Lake Como as the place to forge his path. From a minority stakeholder to interim head coach and now the full-time coach of the club, he has seen the side go from the second tier to the topflight of Italian football and now qualification for the Champions League. Their home debut was marked by a historic 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig before a 3-2 loss to Feyenoord, and the team have managed to keep pace with Serie A’s European contenders to sit in fifth place in the table.

Meanwhile, Manchester United tempted former assistant coach Michael Carrick into the dugout at the beginning of the year as a temporary replacement for Ruben Amorim. No club picked up more points than the Red Devils in the final four and a half months of the 2025/26 season, earning Carrick the job. But from drawing with 10-man . . .