Cesc Fabregas on Como's Reality Ahead of Frosinone Clash
Cesc Fabregas knows exactly where Como stand. And he is in no mood to let anyone get carried away.
On Sunday afternoon at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, his newly-arrived Champions League side walk into what he calls one of their toughest assignments of the Serie A season: Frosinone away, 14.00 UK time.
This, he insists, is their reality. Not the Scudetto talk swirling around Roma and Inter.
‘I’ve won zero titles’
Como’s rise has been dizzying. Three years from Serie B to the Champions League. A project with money, ideas and a World Cup winner on the bench. It is easy to start drawing grand comparisons.
Some have even suggested Fabregas is building his own version of Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona on Lake Como.
He shut that down immediately.
"I am a long way from so many, let alone him," Fabregas said in his pre-match press conference. "Jose Mourinho said there are coaches who have won titles and others who won zero titles, and I am in the latter camp.
"The most important thing is Como, not me. I am within this project and I give it my all."
The Spaniard keeps returning to one word: time. Time to work. Time to grow. Time to turn potential into something more permanent.
"The key for a coach is time to work, and I think this team has improved so much over the last two years. If we can continue with this same side for two, four, five years, then we can really do something, but if we change every six months, it's difficult."
That is the internal conversation. Outside, the noise is different.
Roma, Inter… and where Como really are
On Saturday, Roma and Inter collide in a match many see as an early Scudetto marker. Fabregas was asked whether he will watch it, and if he sees Como in that fight.
"In my view, they are the two strongest teams in Italy," he replied. "I will watch it because I love football and think it is going to be an incredible game, not because they are our direct competitors for position."
There was no hint of false modesty. Just a clear line drawn.
Como may be in the Champions League, but Fabregas refuses to pretend they belong in the same bracket as the traditional heavyweights. Not yet.
His eyes are fixed on Frosinone.
‘One of the five most difficult matches’
Frosinone came up from Serie B in the summer and have landed in Serie A with intent: two wins and a draw from their last three games. Confidence is high. The Stirpe will be hostile.
Fabregas is impressed – and wary.
"It is going to be one of the five most difficult matches of our Serie A season," he insisted.
"Frosinone are in great form, watching them I can see 11 friends giving their all for each other, they play with courage and on the front foot. We need the perfect performance and I really enjoyed seeing Massimiliano Alvini's team in action.
"They have a fluidity and a very positive mentality, they're a genuine danger for anyone they face, and if we want to win, we need our best performance of the season."
No talk of rotation. No hint of underestimating a promoted side. For Fabregas, this is exactly the kind of game that reveals whether Como are built for the long haul or just riding a wave.
Full squad, big decisions
For the first time this season, Fabregas has a full squad available.
Jayden Addai is back on the bench after surgery on a torn Achilles tendon, a significant boost for the months ahead. His return adds depth to an attack that will need freshness as domestic and European demands pile up.
The real dilemma, though, is in goal.
Jean Butez has been the long-term No.1, a fixture for the last year and a half. Then came Robert Sanchez, on loan from Chelsea, bringing with him Premier League and trophy-winning experience.
"Sanchez arrived from a very important club, he won trophies and knows how to deal with constant pressure to win," Fabregas explained. "We didn't expect him to come here, but it's important for every player to get rest, even the goalkeepers. The last game was the first time in a year and a half that Butez didn't start.
"That was a test, we'll take it one game at a time and see what happens."
It is a luxury problem, but a delicate one. Change the goalkeeper and you alter the spine of the team. Keep Butez in, and you park a high-profile loanee on the bench.
For now, Fabregas is refusing to look too far ahead. He wants one thing in Frosinone: "the perfect performance."
Como have climbed fast. The question now is whether they can stay calm, stay grounded, and keep winning nights like this while everyone else talks about titles.
