Cesc Fabregas has lauded the growing maturity of his Como side after they successfully navigated a grueling schedule to secure a 2-0 victory against Sassuolo. Following their historic European exploits against Manchester United, the Italian outfit proved they have the depth to compete on multiple fronts.
Como continued their impressive run of form on Saturday, securing a third consecutive victory with a professional 2-0 win over Sassuolo. A brace from Tasos Douvikas was enough to seal the points, but the real story for Fabregas was his team's ability to maintain high energy levels despite a congested fixture list that recently included a high-profile Champions League encounter with Manchester United .
"It depends. Every time is a bit different, today certainly it was more the physical aspect, the games against Manchester United and Fiorentina before took energy away from us," Fabregas explained, as quoted by TUTTOmercatoWEB . "Coming to compete here... it mattered to arrive with energy. With people who had been waiting for weeks or months to find space. The real challenge of this season is the close games. The biggest teams, if you see, are in difficulty with so many changes."
The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder emphasized the importance of his fringe players stepping up when called upon. "The other team instead arrives after 8 days of preparing for the match. Victory gives you extra strength, even better to win in this way. Today Kambwala played, Ricci, Lahdo made his debut. Having everyone available and giving a hand until the end of the season is a good thing," he added.
Greek forward Douvikas was the undisputed star of the show, and Fabregas was quick to point out the immense work rate behind the striker's clinical finishing. The Spaniard believes Douvikas has all the attributes required to become one of the most feared center-forwards in the division if he continues his current trajectory of development.
"Tasos wants you to give him information. He always wants to talk, he is a guy who always wants to improve, he is scoring goals... I know how much work is behind it. He is growing in a way that could make him become a very, very important center-forward. He trains at a thousand, he is a very generous guy, in this sense we are very happy. In these last three years, he has been one of those signings that has given satisfaction," he noted.
Beyond the attacking displays, Como's defensive resilience caught the eye as they kept a clean sheet despite fielding a brand-new backline. Fabregas noted that the team is becoming more adept at managing different phases of the game, a skill they have refined even since their testing night against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
"I am very happy with this. When a team defends well it is always better than attacking. We must gain confidence. Even after Manchester United it seems that the team is managing some aspects to improve better. If you look at the defense today it is the first time they have all played together. Plus Ricci in front of them. We cannot forget this and I don't. There is work behind it. The guys understand what can be improved and try to make it available," he explained.
Fabregas also touched upon the necessity of managing stars like Nico Paz, who was rested following a heavy international and European workload. The manager insisted that rotation is a non-negotiable part of the process for a young team trying to establish themselves as a force in both domestic and continental competitions.
"I think it's a great challenge, especially after the Champions League. Coming here with so many changes and this performance, especially in the second half. We didn't leave anything to them, to play or have opportunities. There are moments during the season that we have to manage like this. This is a process of adaptation, we are very young and for me today the reaction was important. I liked the team very much," Fabregas concluded.
