Fabregas: Como must perform every three days in Serie A and Champions League

Cesc Fabregas is not getting carried away by Como’s 4-1 Champions League debut against RB Leipzig . ‘We must perform every three days with the right mentality.’

It was practically the perfect way to begin their historic first Champions League adventure, running out 4-1 winners at the revamped Stadio Sinigaglia.

Notably, all the goals were scored by players who were in the side last season and therefore earned this opportunity to play in Europe’s top competition, namely Martin Baturina, Tasos Douvikas, Assane Diao and substitute Maxi Perrone.

The only blight was the goal conceded by Andrija Maksimovic, but Como are the sole Italian team to win in the Champions League during Matchday 1.

Fabregas demands more from Como COMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 10: Cesc Fabregas, Manager of Como 1907, celebrates after the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Como 1907 and RB Leipzig at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on September 10, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) “I am happy, but it will only last five minutes, because then we have to prepare against Parma on Monday, and we need the same energy as tonight,” Fabregas told Sky Sport Italia.

“Obviously, I understand it is a historic night for the city and the club, it is a gift that we deserved for the incredible work we did last season, but Serie A remains the most important target. It is after all what allows you to get back into the Champions League.

“We are a young team, we are boosted by the Champions League energy, but I’d be really angry if we then didn’t give our all in Serie A. We must be humble and be able to perform every three days, it will be a very tough season, and we must maintain the right mentality.”

COMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 10: Martin Baturina of Como 1907 celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Como 1907 and RB Leipzig at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on September 10, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Baturina scored a goal and provided an assist tonight, though at times Fabregas was shouting at him from the bench.

“I trust Martin and try to give him the freedom to find the right space using his talent. Whenever I shout from the touchline at any of my players, it is always because they have talent and I just need to give them that extra shove of energy.”

This was the third consecutive victory for Como after Napoli and Genoa, but in the last two games Fabregas shifted to five at the back around the hour mark, trying to control the situation.

“You want to be a complete and dominant team, but that also means controlling the various mini-games during a match. At Napoli, it was incredibly hot and humid, so it was impossible to press non-stop there,” explained the coach.

COMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 10: Cesc Fabregas, Manager of Como 1907, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Como 1907 and RB Leipzig at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on September 10, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) “Today we did try to control it, as after we went 3-0 up, Leipzig changed their system and started building with three plus one, pushing down the flanks and with more physicality. We were a little tired and therefore I preferred to control the situation more.

“Usually I would push to score the fourth, but this is the Champions League level, they score 3-1 and it’s not over. Fortunately, the solidity of the team was evident and we had another few dangerous counter-attacks, including the Perrone goal.

“This is why we must be able to adapt in different situations, especially against teams who at certain points are playing better than you are.”

COMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 10: Cesc Fabregas, Manager of Como 1907, celebrates after the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Como 1907 and RB Leipzig at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on September 10, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) It is quite the journey, considering Como were sixth in Serie B when he took the job in December 2023 , but they made more strong investments this summer.

“I think we are still a work in progress, because we have so many new players like Kaiki and Moise Kean who only just arrived, and are still a little bit lost in some of our movements. We need to sort out things especially when defending, there were I believe nine new players, and it will take time to get them all in top form.

“We must remember that we were without Diao for nine months last season due to injury. Someone with his potential always gives you an opportunity. People say we paid a lot for some of these players, but that depends, they have potential and are very young, many of them will improve every single year. It takes patience, and there’s not a lot of that in football,” concluded Fabregas.