Cesc Fabregas Prepares Como for Challenging Match Against Frosinone
Cesc Fabregas knows exactly where Como stand. And, just as importantly, where they don’t.
On Sunday afternoon at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, his fast‑rising side face a Frosinone team brimming with confidence after two wins and a draw from their last three Serie A outings. For Fabregas, it is not a routine away day. It is a warning sign.
“It is going to be one of the five most difficult matches of our Serie A season,” he said on the eve of the game. “We need the perfect performance.”
Not part of the Scudetto conversation
The question came, inevitably: with Como having rocketed from Serie B to the Champions League in just three years, should they be mentioned in the same breath as Roma and Inter, who collide in a marquee Scudetto clash on Saturday?
Fabregas cut that talk down quickly.
“In my view, they are the two strongest teams in Italy. 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.”
The ambition around Como has grown as fast as the results. The Lariani have climbed the Calcio ladder at a pace that has left both media and opponents scrambling to recalibrate expectations. Yet their coach keeps dragging the spotlight back to earth.
Some have even suggested he is constructing a project comparable to Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona. Fabregas wanted no part of that comparison.
“I am a long way from so many, let alone him. 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.”
Time, continuity and a clear project
Fabregas has been consistent about what he believes truly powers a club’s rise: continuity and patience, not noise.
“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 sentence cuts to the heart of Como’s current reality. They have already defied gravity by reaching the Champions League so quickly. Turning that surge into a stable presence at the top level demands something different: staying power, a core that grows together, not a revolving door.
For now, though, the coach is not talking about long-term legacies. He is talking about Frosinone.
Respect for Frosinone’s momentum
Fabregas has clearly studied Massimiliano Alvini’s side and likes what he sees – perhaps a little too much for Como’s comfort.
“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,” he said. “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.”
It is high praise, but it also underlines the standard he is setting for his own players. A team that has gone from Serie B to the Champions League cannot stroll into a promoted side’s ground and expect reputation to carry them. Not in a stadium like the Stirpe, and not against opponents playing with this level of belief.
A full squad – and a big call in goal
One boost for Como: for the first time this season, Fabregas has a full squad available.
Jayden Addai is back on the bench after recovering from surgery on a torn Achilles tendon, a significant return for the group as the calendar begins to fill and the physical demands intensify.
That depth brings dilemmas, especially in goal. Fabregas must now choose between long-term No. 1 Jean Butez and new arrival Robert Sanchez, on loan from Chelsea.
“Sanchez arrived from a very important club, he won trophies and knows how to deal with constant pressure to win,” the coach 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 rare luxury for Como: two goalkeepers with strong claims to the shirt, both trusted, both experienced in high-pressure environments. The decision will say a lot about how Fabregas reads not just this match, but the season’s rhythm.
Between humility and ambition
Strip away the noise around Como’s meteoric rise and you find a coach intent on resisting the easy narrative. Fabregas talks about zero titles, about time, about projects and patience, while the club’s trajectory screams acceleration.
On Sunday in Frosinone, those two forces meet again. The story of Como as an upstart Champions League side will roll on, but the man in charge keeps insisting on something far simpler.
A perfect performance. One of the toughest games of their season. A promoted team treated like a genuine threat.
If this is what “zero titles” looks like, how will Fabregas speak when the medals finally arrive?
