Cesc Fabregas on Como's Challenge Against Frosinone

Cesc Fabregas insists Como will need “the perfect performance” away to Frosinone on Sunday – and he is in no mood to let anyone drag his team into the Scudetto conversation.

Como’s remarkable rise, from Serie B to the Champions League in just three years, has turned them into one of the most intriguing stories in Italian football. The hype has grown with every step. Fabregas is determined not to believe a word of it.

‘Roma and Inter are on another level’

On the eve of the trip to the Stadio Benito Stirpe, the Como coach was asked whether he would be glued to Saturday’s showdown between Roma and Inter, billed as an early Scudetto marker, and if he saw his side as part of that race.

“In my view, they are the two strongest teams in Italy,” he said. “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 question did not stop there. With Como’s football drawing praise and their project gathering momentum, some have even dared to compare what Fabregas is building to Johan Cruyff’s revolution at Barcelona.

He shut that down immediately.

“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. 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.”

The message was clear: forget labels, forget comparisons. This is a long-term build, not a shortcut to glory.

Warning shot: ‘One of the five most difficult matches’

Fabregas steered the conversation straight back to Frosinone, a newly promoted side who have quietly found form with two wins and a draw in their last three games.

“It is going to be one of the five most difficult matches of our Serie A season,” he insisted.

That is not the usual lip service paid to an underdog. Fabregas has studied Massimiliano Alvini’s team and liked almost everything he saw.

“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.”

For a side that has just leapt into the Champions League, calling a trip to a newly promoted club one of the toughest five games of the campaign is a deliberate reality check. The climb has been steep; the margin for complacency is non-existent.

Full squad, big calls

For the first time this season, Como travel with a full squad available. That alone changes the dynamic.

Jayden Addai is back on the bench after recovering from surgery on a torn Achilles tendon, a significant boost to depth and attacking options.

It also leaves Fabregas with a heavyweight decision in goal. Jean Butez has been a long-term starter, the reliable presence behind Como’s rise. Robert Sanchez, on loan from Chelsea, brings a different profile and a big-club pedigree.

“Sanchez arrived from a very important club, he won trophies and knows how to deal with constant pressure to win. 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.”

A coach who quotes Mourinho’s “zero titles” line, plays down Cruyff comparisons and calls Frosinone away one of his hardest games is not getting carried away by the noise. The question now is whether his players can match that cold-eyed realism with the flawless display he is demanding in one of Serie A’s most awkward fixtures.