The Welshman Who Influenced Europe's Coaching Elite

ByAndrew Richards

BBC Sport Wales

Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Cesc Fabregas and Mikel Arteta.

This is not nan beginnings of a imagination Arsenal five-a-side team.

It's a database of players turned coaches whose second careers person each been influenced by a Welshman.

Osian Roberts was nan Football Association of Wales' (FAW) method head erstwhile Henry, Vieira and Arteta stepped done nan gates of Dragon Park successful Newport to gain their coaching badges.

After a stint arsenic adjunct to Vieira astatine Crystal Palace, Roberts was recommended by Henry to subordinate Italian nine Como arsenic interim head successful December 2023.

He led nan broadside successful promotion to Serie A that season, earlier handing nan reins to his adjunct Fabregas while staying connected arsenic caput of improvement astatine nan club.

"He's an astonishing man, a very intelligent young man," Roberts said of Fabregas, speaking to nan BBC World Service's Sportsworld programme.

"He's made this measurement from a subordinate to a coach successful a comparatively short play of time, successful arsenic earthy a measurement arsenic you can.

"We each cognize really overmuch of a apical subordinate he was and he's showing that he has nan aforesaid mindset, intelligence, nan thrust and nan hunger to win arsenic nan head arsenic well."

Fabregas' broadside presently beryllium 5th successful Serie A, 2 points distant from a Champions League spot pinch 5 games near of nan season.

They are besides 90 minutes distant from a first ever Coppa Italia final, arsenic they resume 0-0 connected aggregate against Inter Milan connected Tuesday.

"It would mean everything to nan club," said Roberts.

"The fans present haven't had overmuch to cheer astir successful caller times but now to beryllium competing astatine nan apical level successful Serie A, it's a dream travel existent for everybody progressive pinch Como 1907."

Roberts is keen to accent Como person "a very beardown squad down nan team".

"A batch of difficult work, humility led by illustration by Cesc himself," he adds.

"There is nary correct measurement to play shot and for america we person our measurement which is circumstantial to Como, which we are trying to build based connected Cesc's crippled thought and influence.

"I'd for illustration to deliberation that we're a very breathtaking squad to watch. We person to beryllium because we're successful Como and we are, by definition, successful a metropolis that needs to entertain and pull nan visitors into nan stadium."

Roberts, who was adjunct to Chris Coleman during Wales' tally to nan semi-finals astatine Euro 2016, sees a comparison betwixt Fabregas and Arsenal leader Arteta.

"I would put Cesc and Mikel successful nan aforesaid class because some of them were making that modulation from playing to coaching whilst they were still playing. They had that mindset," Roberts said.

"It's not ever easy, because astir of these erstwhile players had a long, successful 20-year career. So to proceed pinch that occurrence successful nan belly and beryllium capable to spell again successful a different profession wherever it takes moreover much retired of you, it's clip consuming.

"I cognize galore top, apical players who conscionable didn't person nan batteries near to spell into a coaching profession and that's fine.

"It's awesome to person these type of profiles proceed successful nan game, because fans I'm judge emotion them arsenic players and person different opportunity to spot a different magnitude and their thought of nan game, based connected these awesome experiences that they had."

Having erstwhile held a seemingly insurmountable lead successful this season's Premier League title race, Arsenal now beryllium conscionable six points clear of Manchester City, who person a crippled successful hand, earlier they look each different astatine Etihad Stadium connected Sunday.

Despite nan pressure, Roberts has been impressed pinch Arteta's demeanour.

"I deliberation he's managing nan business successful a very awesome way," nan 60-year-old said.

"Every head has doubts. I'm judge erstwhile he's unsocial he's reasoning astir nan worst lawsuit scenarios, it's inevitable.

"But you cognize that he will beryllium conveying only affirmative vibes connected nan pitch, disconnected nan pitch, really he conducts himself, his assemblage language."

Roberts believes you tin spot Arteta's strengths successful his media conferences.

"He knows that nan players will beryllium listening to his messages and you tin spot that they're strong. He's talking astir fire, not fear," he said.

"I deliberation astir players and coaches that I've spoken to complete nan decades would opportunity that that first trophy is nan hardest 1 to win.

"Of course, I cognize he's won nan FA Cup but now we're talking astir Champions League and Premier League.

"If they tin conscionable astir get themselves complete nan line, I'm judge we'll spot them spell from spot to spot complete nan adjacent fewer years."