Cesc Fabregas shared his immense pride in Como’s “courage to compete against anyone” following their exhilarating 4-3 defeat to Serie A leaders Inter. Despite the loss, Fabregas highlighted his team’s fighting spirit and their ability to challenge a top opponent, stating he hasn’t checked the league table and is focused on the team’s development.
Como started brightly, taking a 2-0 lead against Inter with goals from Alex Valle and Nico Paz. However, Inter’s clinical finishing saw them fight back to secure a 4-3 victory, with Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries both scoring twice. A late penalty from Lucas Da Cunha and a near miss from Alberto Moreno were not enough for Como to salvage a point.
Fabregas Lauds Como’s Fight and Mentality
“I don’t know what position we are in the table, because I haven’t checked since the start of the season and I’m not going to now,” Fabregas told DAZN Italia. “My team once again proved it is courageous, eager, and even in defeat showed character. It’s true we made mistakes, but this is a young team and we were up against an opponent that will penalise you for every error.”
Fabregas emphasized the team’s proactive approach, noting, “I like to look at statistics, and not many sides manage 20 shots on goal against Inter. If you had told me two years ago that we’d be challenging Inter like this, I’d have assumed we had organised a friendly match, but we are fighting them on an even playing field.”
Reflecting on the turning point of the match, which saw Thuram score just before halftime, Fabregas agreed that mentality played a crucial role. “That’s what I mean, you can talk about tactics all you want, but ultimately the mentality makes the difference,” he said. “My message at half-time was that regardless of the result, we needed to keep playing like this.”
Despite the defensive lapse that led to Inter’s first goal, Fabregas acknowledged the strength of the opposition, particularly on set plays. “We created some good counter-attacks, but they are so incredible on set plays, not just against us. As I said, being competitive against Inter today was an important step in our growth process.”
Fabregas expressed his immense satisfaction with his players’ progress, stating, “I am so proud of my players. I see the desire to improve and the courage to compete against anyone we are up against.” He also mentioned that the team prepares for matches differently and declined to elaborate on their specific tactical approach against Inter.
This performance marked a significant improvement from Como’s previous Serie A encounter with Inter, where they suffered a 4-0 defeat. Fabregas sees mistakes as opportunities for growth: “Mistakes are part of the game, they can often help you grow faster, because they force you to take a good look and not just keep coasting along. That is true of life as well as of football.”
Looking ahead, Fabregas asserted, “I just say that it was a good performance and we don’t stop now, there are six rounds to play plus the Coppa Italia, and we’ll see where we end up.”
The result places Como in fifth place, but the race for Champions League spots remains exceptionally tight, with only six points separating third-placed Milan from sixth-placed Roma.