Cesc Fabregas Prepares Como for Tough Frosinone Match

Cesc Fabregas knows exactly where Como stand. And it is not in the middle of a Scudetto dogfight with Roma and Inter.

On Sunday afternoon at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, his team walk into what he calls one of the five toughest games of their Serie A season. No glamour, no grand statements. Just Frosinone away at 14.00 UK time, and a demand from their coach for “the perfect performance.”

‘I’ve won zero titles’

Como’s rise has been dizzying. From Serie B to the Champions League in three years, the Lariani have forced their way into the spotlight so quickly that nobody is quite sure how to label them anymore – upstarts, contenders, curiosity.

Fabregas is having none of the hype.

Asked if he would be watching Saturday’s Scudetto showdown between Roma and Inter, and whether he saw Como in that conversation, he cut the idea down with a dose of reality.

“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,” he told reporters.

The comparisons have already started. Some have suggested he is building at Como what Johan Cruyff once built at Barcelona. Fabregas recoiled from that, too.

“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 is clear: strip away the noise, keep the project steady, and stop talking about Cruyff.

Eyes on Frosinone, not the big two

So the focus turns back to Frosinone, promoted from Serie B in the summer and currently punching above their weight with two wins and a draw from their last three games.

Fabregas is not treating them like plucky underdogs.

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

The respect runs deep. He has studied Massimiliano Alvini’s side and likes what he sees.

“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 coach being asked about Roma and Inter, his tone is far more urgent when the subject is Frosinone. That tells its own story.

Full squad, big decisions

For the first time this season, Fabregas has a full squad at his disposal. Jayden Addai is back on the bench after surgery on a torn Achilles tendon, a significant boost to depth and options.

That recovery also sharpens the selection dilemmas, especially in goal.

Como must now choose between long-term No. 1 Jean Butez and new arrival Robert Sanchez, on loan from Chelsea. Sanchez brings pedigree and pressure-tested experience; Butez brings continuity and the trust built over time.

“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.”

No declarations, no permanent changing of the guard. Just competition and another test in a season full of them.

Como may be rubbing shoulders with giants in the Champions League, but Fabregas has made his priority brutally simple: survive the trip to Frosinone, deliver that “perfect performance,” and prove this project is built on more than a rapid rise and a romantic story.