Fabregas: ‘Nobody made me suffer like Conte’ in Chelsea training

Como coach Cesc Fabregas will reunite with Antonio Conte when facing Napoli this weekend and reveals ‘nobody made me suffer more’ in training than the then-Chelsea manager.

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The pair will be reunited at the Stadio Sinigaglia on Saturday at 17.00 UK time (18.00 CEST) in the Serie A Week 35 fixture.

Speaking in a press conference this afternoon, Fabregas took the opportunity to remember what it was like being a player under Conte at Stamford Bridge.

Fabregas remembers Conte methods Chelsea manager Antonio Conte (L) greets player Cesc Fabregas (R) at the end of the English Premier League soccer match Chelsea vs Swansea at Stamford Bridge, London, Britain, 25 February 2017. EPA/WILL OLIVER EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications “I learned a great deal from Antonio,” said Fabregas.

“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.

“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.”

Fabregas made 86 competitive appearances under Conte at Chelsea from 2016 to 2018, scoring 10 goals and providing 22 assists.

Now on the verge of his 39 th birthday, the Spanish former midfielder is proving himself as a coach at Como in Serie A and challenging for a top four finish.