Cesc Fabregas, now a coach, is set to reunite with his former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte when Como faces Napoli. Fabregas shared that during his playing days at Chelsea, “nobody made me suffer more” in training than Conte, highlighting the intense physical demands and relentless pursuit of speed and intensity.
Speaking ahead of the Serie A fixture, Fabregas recalled his experience under Conte’s management at Stamford Bridge. He admitted that while the initial months were challenging as he adapted to Conte’s rigorous methods, he eventually felt “incredible” physically by December. Fabregas attributed this transformation to fully embracing Conte’s mentality and approach.
During their time together at Chelsea from 2016 to 2018, Fabregas made 86 appearances, scoring 10 goals and providing 22 assists. Now, as he approaches his 39th birthday, the former Spanish midfielder is making his mark as a coach for Como, a team currently competing for a top-four spot in Serie A.
Fabregas stated, “I learned a great deal from Antonio. He made me suffer so much on a purely physical level, he was always demanding pace, intensity, go at full speed, nobody made me suffer more. I want that too from my team, perhaps in a slightly different way, some with or without the ball.” He concluded by saying, “It is true that after four or five months of adapting to his methods, by December I was flying. I felt physically incredible. Once I got used to his way of doing things, his mentality, I really believed in what he was doing.”