Cesc Fabregas has offered glimpses into his new tactical strategy for Como’s upcoming match against Inter, revealing his aspiration to transfer knowledge acquired from observing elite clubs like Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich to his players.
The Serie A encounter is scheduled to take place at the Stadio Sinigaglia, kicking off at 19:45 UK time (20:45 CEST).
Como finds itself under increased pressure following a recent 0-0 draw with Udinese, which ended a streak of five consecutive victories. This result allowed Juventus to temporarily overtake them in the standings with a win against Atalanta.
Fabregas aims for an ambitious Como performance
Fabregas expressed pride in his team’s performance, stating to DAZN Italia, “The lads proved to me that they had courage, character, focus, so I am very proud as a coach, because the most difficult thing is to convince the players, and they have given me their all.” He added, “In football, one team wins and the other loses, all you can do is give everything you’ve got, and they make me proud.”
Como previously hosted Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-final on March 3, a match that concluded in a 0-0 draw, leaving the tie open for the second leg on April 21.
While Fabregas has previously opted for Nico Paz as a False 9 in significant matches, he is adopting a more attacking formation for this game, fielding Tasos Douvikas, Martin Baturina, Nico Paz, and Assane Diao together.
“Every game is different, I think that we are at a stage of the season where a young team with many players in their first season still have a lot to learn. We picked up a lot of confidence, know each other much better, have certain dynamics drilled in now,” explained Fabregas.
He further elaborated on the difference in approach between the Coppa Italia tie and the current Serie A fixture: “In the Coppa Italia over two legs, the first match is always a little different with an eye on the full 180 minutes, whereas tonight it’s a one-off Serie A game, one of 38 in total, and we cannot look beyond that.”
“We always took it one game at a time this season in Serie A, our identity has always been to be attacking. Sergi Roberto brings experience and solidity to midfield, and we also have a different role for Diao that you will see when the game starts.”
“We need to have devastating confidence on the ball to take on a team that dominates most games, we’ll see then by halftime whether we want to make a change or not.”
Fabregas recently attended the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. When asked about drawing inspiration from the match, he commented, “I am seeing a lot of matches lately, I went to Atalanta-Bayern Munich and Arsenal-Bayer Leverkusen too, because I like to see these high quality players live. Just the first touch, the control, how they play when pressed, these are the levels I’d love to see my teams play at one day. It helps me understand various dynamics, I love to see the ideas of these coaches, and hope to pass some of those on to my young players.”
Jacobo Ramon and Jesus Rodriguez are available for selection again after recovering from injuries, leaving Jayden Addai as the sole absentee.
