Como beat Sassuolo 2-0 in Serie A on Saturday 24 October. After the match, Cesc Fabregas said his side changed things at half-time with Nemanja Matic in mind.
Half-time change
“We changed a few things during the break, as I think I had underestimated the quality of Matic, just as I did last season when we lost to Sassuolo,” explained Fabregas to DAZN Italia.
“Matic needs to be pressed constantly for the whole match. We cannot let him play. After that, we started to play better, and they lost both confidence and control. We were lacking something in that first half, so I really liked the reaction.”
Exchange after the final whistle
Fabregas said: “He is my friend, I told him sorry, but we had to press you, otherwise you’d be running the game. He replied: ‘Remember you played your best football with me!’”
Team news and scorers
Football Italia reported that Nico Paz was left on the bench throughout. Football Italia reported that Tasos Douvikas scored two goals.
Next match
Como's next Serie A match is away to Torino on Tuesday evening.
Fabregas said: “We cannot always go at full speed, but if we want to be this team, then we’ve got to find the energy from somewhere.”
“That is only possible if the coach trusts every member of the squad, knowing he can change and give everyone an opportunity. There are thousands of moments in a season, we are learning every day and the team is going through a growth process,” continued Fabregas.
Fabregas said: “Sassuolo had eight days to prepare for this match, now we’ve got Torino coming up, who played yesterday and have 24 hours of added rest. This is a big difference this season and we’re still getting used to it.”