Fabregas: Como are not title rivals as he targets ‘perfect’ display against Frosinone

Cesc Fabregas says Como are not competing with Roma and Inter for the Serie A title, while warning that his side will need a “perfect performance” to overcome Frosinone on Sunday.

Como have risen rapidly through the Italian football pyramid, going from Serie B to the Champions League within three years. That progress has raised questions over how far the club can go, but Fabregas played down suggestions that they should be considered contenders for the top positions.

Speaking at his news conference on Friday, Fabregas said he would watch Roma’s meeting with Inter because he loves football, rather than because either team was a direct rival for Como.

“In my opinion, they are the two strongest teams in Italy,” he said. “I will watch the match because I love football and I am sure it will be an entertaining game, not because they are direct competitors for us at the top.”

Fabregas also rejected comparisons between his work at Como and Johan Cruyff’s project at Barcelona.

“I am a long way from Cruyff and many others,” he said. “Jose Mourinho once said there are coaches who have won trophies and others who have won zero trophies, and I belong to the second category.

“The important thing is Como’s project, not Cesc Fabregas. I give everything I have to this club, and time is fundamental for every coach. This team has developed a lot over the past two years. If this group stays together for several years, we can achieve something great. Changing every six months makes things complicated.”

Como’s immediate challenge is Frosinone at the Stadio Benito Stirpe. The hosts, who have only recently returned to Serie A, have won two and drawn one of their past three matches.

“This will be one of the five most difficult matches we play this season,” Fabregas said. “Frosinone are going through an excellent period. When you watch them, you see 11 friends fighting for one another. They play with courage and attack with energy.

“We need a perfect performance to stop the threat from Massimiliano Alvini’s team. They have fluidity and a positive spirit that make them dangerous against any opponent.”

Como will have a fully available squad for the first time this season, with Jayden Addai returning to the substitutes’ bench after Achilles tendon surgery.

That leaves Fabregas with a decision to make in goal between veteran goalkeeper Jan Butez and new arrival Robert Sanchez, who joined on loan from Chelsea.

“Sanchez came from a big club, is used to pressure and has won trophies, and we did not expect him to join us,” Fabregas said. “But resting players is important, even for goalkeepers. The previous match was the first time in a year and a half that Butez had not started.

“It was an experience and a test. We will take each match as it comes and see what happens.”