Cesc Fabregas was disappointed in his players and their inability to understand the game plan following their 2-0 loss against Frosinone in Serie A on Sunday afternoon, which the Spaniard described as a 'masterpiece'.
Giacomo Caio and Giorgio Kvernadze struck in the 14th and 45th minutes to give Frosinone a 2-0 win at home against Champions League outfit Como in Serie A on Sunday, which has drawn the two sides level on 10 points after five matches of the 2026-27 season.
Click here to see how the action from all of Sunday's Serie A matches unfolded.
COMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 14: Cesc Fabregas, Manager of Como 1907 , reacts during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and Parma Calcio at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on September 14, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Fabregas says that he was always aware of the threat that Frosinone posed, but admits that his players perhaps did not fully understand the scale of the task at hand.
Had it not been for an heroic performance from Frosinone goalkeeper Lorenzo Palmisani, Fabregas feels that Como could have gone on to win by several goals.
"I explained during the pre-match what sort of a team Frosinone are. Maybe I wasn't good at making sure that the team understood it," said Fabregas during his post-match press conference.
"I wouldn't have been surprised had we won 4-1 today because Palmisani made a lot of saves.
GENOA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Lorenzo Palmisani of Frosinone reacts during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Frosinone Calcio at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on September 12, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
"We didn't have great control, we had four chances to score. When you lose, you get angry and then analyse, but Frosinone played the game that they wanted to and we were not up to it. Frosinone did well to hurt us, we definitely have to improve."
Fabregas was asked whether he intends to test Nico Paz in a slightly deeper role in the midfield, but the Spaniard made it clear that that is not a likely scenario.
"I don't agree with it. We've tried and tested it but Nico is best further ahead. I've known him since he was 15, I'm the first one who wants to learn and try new things, but I'm convinced he doesn't express himself to his best in that position."
Fabregas believes that there is not much point in making conclusions based on the table at this stage of the season.
GENOA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 04: Cesc Fabregas, Manager of Como, looks on before the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Como 1907 at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on September 04, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
"We're talking after five matches. There's no point in that. There are 38 games and the standings only matter at the end of the season. We should speak about a great Frosinone side today because they deserve it.
"Today was our first poor game in five months, the last being in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia against Inter . It was a Frosinone masterpiece today. It was very clear what Frosinone wanted to do."
