Como manager Cesc Fabregas said his side's 4-1 Champions League win over Manchester United on Wednesday evening was deeply rewarding, while insisting the result does not change how his players must approach their next game. According to LiveScore, the Italian club dominated possession at home and were led by Nico Paz, who scored twice and set up a goal for Tasos Douvikas. Jacobo Ramon and Joshua Zirkzee also found the net in the second half.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia after full-time, Fabregas called it a special night but stressed that his team is only at the start of what it hopes to achieve. He said the players performed well and must remain level-headed, pointing to another fixture on Saturday.
Why it matters
The scoreline stands out because of the gap in resources and reputation between the two clubs. LiveScore notes that Fabregas was careful not to read too much into beating a United side he acknowledged is struggling. He said it should not be forgotten that some of his players were appearing in only the third Champions League match of their careers.
That detail frames the result as much as a test of composure as of quality. Fabregas credited the belief and habits of his squad as the foundation for the performance, and said maintaining the same standard in Serie A at the weekend is where the real difficulty begins.
Possession approach and a cautious answer
Como controlled much of the ball against the Premier League side, prompting a question about whether they believe they can impose that style on any opponent in Europe. Fabregas declined to make such a claim, calling it a bold statement and repeating that his team must stay humble.
He said preparation will not change regardless of the opponent, listing Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-final and Napoli and Roma in Serie A as examples. According to LiveScore, he described preparation as fundamental while adding that the confidence of his players matters just as much, since the task becomes harder without it.
A path from player to coach
Fabregas's connection to Como predates this Champions League campaign. LiveScore reports that the club was in Serie B when he joined as a player, and that he later coached the youth team before being promoted to the top job almost immediately.
Asked whether he is already looking beyond Como for his ambitions, he described his situation as unusual. He said he came to the club to finish his playing career, then took the youth-team role, and that although people say he has free rein, he had to earn that trust. He added that he is fortunate to have a president and a director of sport who understand and believe in him, and that mutual trust and a family-like atmosphere naturally lead to good results.
Paz given licence to roam
Nico Paz's two-goal display came in a free role behind Douvikas, and Fabregas linked the arrangement to his own experience at Barcelona. He recalled enjoying being used as a striker by Pep Guardiola, and said he and Lionel Messi were allowed to read where space was opening and move into it while teammates concentrated on positional play.
That willingness to grant selected players extra freedom appears to be shaping how Como use Paz, whose performance underpinned the win. Fabregas's satisfaction, as he described it, came not only from the result but from the manner of it.
What happens next is Saturday's Serie A fixture, where Fabregas will find out whether his players can reproduce the same approach on short rest.
