How Bravery And Belief Has Shaped Their Serie A Season

Como coach Cesc Fabregas sees no reason to back down against Serie A’s top clubs. And according to club president Mirwan Suwarso, playing mundane, defensive football was never part of the plan. For the club to grow rapidly, entertainment value had to come first.

Executing such an audacious plan takes courage, self-belief, and the ability to capitalise on one’s strengths. Easier said than done. Still, step by step, Como is making strides.

“If we do things the right way, 60% of our new audience will come from tourists who suddenly discover that there’s a football club here,” Suwarso told Calcio e Finanza earlier in the month.

“If they visit for the first time and we play with a low block and in a boring way, they will never be interested in Como. Our goal as a company is to become the world’s leading football tourism destination.”

For decades, the magic of Lake Como has seduced tourists to visit the region as a holiday destination. And for far too long, the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia – the home ground of Como 1907 – remained vastly empty as the team languished in the lower divisions.

Fast forward to 2024: Como won promotion to Serie A for the first time in 21 years, with match tickets sold to fans in 122 different countries, an indicator that soccer, too, can attract the masses.

Now, it’s all about giving the fans what they want, and Fabregas’s team has made their statement of intent.

On the back of two milestone wins against top six clubs Fiorentina and Napoli, the newly promoted lakeside club will aim to make history in the Italian capital on Sunday when they take on AS Roma.

Victory at the Stadio Olimpico over Claudio Ranieri’s side means three consecutive wins for Como, something the Lariani haven’t achieved since 1952.

The Boss

Since the season began with the 3-0 loss to Juventus, Fabregas has instituted a fearless brand of soccer, something most promoted Italian sides are unaccustomed to. The slow but steady transition from the bottom three placings to mid-table was always the goal, and a third consecutive win could take Como to joint 11th place if other results go their way.

Fabregas’ stock as an emerging European coach will again increase should he do the double over Ranieri this season, and there are plenty of potential suitors in England and Spain, according to Italian media outlets.

In December, Como defeated Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, and Premier League winner Ranieri addressed his upcoming challenge immediately after his side thrashed Monza on Monday.

“I’m already thinking about Como,” Ranieri told Sky Sport Italia. “They’ve beaten us, they’re full of spirit, and they’re playing well. Fabregas will be one of the top coaches in Europe in three or four years. I’m convinced of that.”

Credit where credit is due. Following his promotion-winning season from Serie B, Fabregas is earning his stripes in the top flight: Como impressively sits in 13th place, seven points above the relegation zone, and has beaten some of the best teams in the division.

General expectations from pundits and neutrals were low throughout the first half of the season despite an array of positive performances.

Entering 2025, the club responded during the January transfer window by replacing players unfit for Fabregas’ tactical system with ten new signings, including Maxence Caqueret (Lyon), Assane Diao (Real Betis) and Barcelona loanee Alex Valle.

Suwarso spent $52M (€49.2M) to bolster the squad, a clear sign the ownership group is laying the foundations for the future.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Over the past month, the Serie A calendar has been brutal to Como, tasked with facing three UEFA Champions League sides in a row – Atalanta, Bologna, and Juventus.

Despite losing all three, there were significant improvements collectively and individually, with contributions from attacking starlets Nico Paz, who scored against Atalanta, and Diao, who got the equaliser against Juventus.

In Florence, Paz and Diao each scored as Como beat Fiorentina 2-0 on Match Day 25. But they saved the best for Serie A’s top side.

Paz assisted Diao’s winner against Napoli, a result that flipped the Scudetto race on its head and, at the same time, gifted Como sufficient headroom over those below them.

“It was a game that could change the tempo of the season,” Fabregas told DAZN. “I told them to believe that we can continue in this way, not to give up, not to ruin anything for the future.”

Metamorphisis

Two monumental wins over Fiorentina and Napoli in successive weeks caused shockwaves across the peninsula. This could be the watershed moment that Fabregas, Como, and their fans were waiting for.

“Today, I grew a lot as a coach. It was the most difficult match I’ve faced on my path as a coach because Antonio [Conte] changed many things, he made changes. I had to think about those a lot. It was a very brave victory with lots of character.”

Como is seemingly shifting gears. The playing roster appears more cohesive and disciplined, which has helped Fabregas overcome Serie A’s top coaches like Gian Piero Gasperini, Raffaele Palladino and Antonio Conte.

“It’s up to us if we want to begin from now, from Florence,” Fabregas told us in the post-match press conference. “But don’t forget what we did against Atalanta, Milan. And against Lazio and Inter, which we lost but gave a great performance, no?”

“I’m seeing a team that knows how to better manage those difficult moments. There’s more resilience, a resilience with belief.”

Comaschi credence will again play a role at the Olimpico against Roma, a team that hasn’t lost a Serie A match since their last meeting with Como – that’s ten games undefeated.

Conversely, Como could win three consecutive for the first time in 73 years. But that won’t play on Fabregas’s mind this Sunday as he adheres to the entertainment-first ideology that Como swears by.

“We have to say this is always going to be our mentality: Winning, losing, always fighting for the win, three points. This isn’t just the way I think; it’s how we are at Como.”