This season, several teams have made encouraging starts to the season in the championship. In Italy, the sensation is called Como. Supported by billionaire and ambitious shareholders, the transalpine club has had an excellent start to the season. Promoted to Serie A last year, the Lombards have reason to bet on European qualification at the end of the season. Advised by Raphaël Varane and Thierry Henry, the team has been coached for almost two years by Cesc Fabregas. A marvelous player with an above-standard football IQ during his 20-year career, the Spaniard has established himself as one of Italy's best coaches since his induction.
And after finishing in 10th place last season, Como continues its march forward. Helped by an ambitious transfer window and a backbone in his squad, the Spanish coach continues to make his way and his team seems to be progressing from match to match. This season, Como delights. Following on from a stunning second half of the season, the football is almost as beautiful as the city lake. And alongside Assane Diao, Nico Paz and Alvaro Morata, Lucas Da Cunha has become a sure value in his position in Italy.
Shy in France, Lucas Da Cunha is adored by Cesc Fabregas in Italy
Little known to the general public in France, the midfielder has nevertheless had great experiences in France. Trained at Stade Rennais from 2016 to 2019, the native of Roanne only played five small matches with the Breton club. Recruited by Nice in 2020, the 24-year-old player did not really have a chance on the Côte d'Azur and will fully express himself in 2022 during a six-month loan to Clermont. An experience that allows him to put himself forward and be flushed out during the winter transfer window of the 2022-2023 season by Como. Still in the second division at the time, the Italian club immediately placed its trust in the player and recruited him definitively the following summer. For his first vintage in Italy, he is one of the great architects of the rise with 7 goals and 6 assists in 35 matches.
Under the leadership of Cesc Fabregas, Da Cunha takes on another dimension. After knowing the player as a teammate and then as a coach, the Spaniard placed the former Nice player as a captain of his team. Having placed him as captain of his team, Fabregas did not hesitate to praise the merits of his 24-year-old midfielder: “I had the privilege of sharing the field with him during my last year as a player. I have witnessed his development on and off the field. His leadership developed on a daily basis. He never misses a practice, always puts the team first and continues to improve every day. At his age, the best is yet to come.» After struggling to find his place in France, Lucas Da Cunha shines brightly in Italy where he is now the captain of the sixth in Serie A and is put on a pedestal by one of the greatest midfielders in history in the person of Cesc Fabregas. This is what we can call a great comeback.
