Fabregas reshapes Como's spine to protect a fragile lead in Rotterdam
Cesc Fabregas rotates full-backs and trusts Nico Paz as a false nine for Como's trip to Feyenoord, framing the change as tactical caution rather than timidity.
Como travel to the De Kuip to face Feyenoord having already made history in continental competition: a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig in their opening fixture stands, for now, as the only victory by an Italian club in this season's Champions League, according to Football Italia.
That result sits oddly alongside their domestic form. Como have taken just one point from their last two Serie A outings, against Frosinone and a ten-man Roma side, a dip that has coincided with the kind of squad juggling Cesc Fabregas is now doing in Europe.
Why Paz leads the line instead of sitting behind it
Fabregas lines up Nico Paz as a false nine, with Martin Baturina and Assane Diao both capable of sliding into that role depending on how the game moves. Moise Kean remains sidelined after picking up an injury on international duty with Italy, removing the obvious central striking option.
Deploying a false nine against a team that defends in a more structured, zonal block is not simply about covering for Kean's absence. A player dropping off the front line into midfield spaces can drag a positional back line out of shape, creating pockets between the lines that a more fixed centre-forward would not open up in the same way.
Fabregas framed the selection as a response to specific homework on Feyenoord rather than a fixed system. "How they start is one thing, then how they find space on the pitch is another," he told Sky Sport Italia, adding that his side "prepared based on how they defend, which is a bit more positional" and would try "to hurt them in a different way."
He also pointed to the practical limits on his options, with Caqueret and Addai joining Kean on the unavailable list. "We have a limited squad in the Champions League," Fabregas said, noting the need to balance this fixture against Serie A, which he called "the most important thing for us."
A captaincy confirmed almost by accident
Paz starts wearing the armband for the first time as a starter, having previously only captained Como after coming on as a substitute. Fabregas' own account of the decision undercuts any sense of grand design: "I didn't know he was the captain, I'd forgotten, they told me on the bus." He described it as part of a pattern at the club, where "so many new challenges have emerged over the last three years" that both the squad and staff have had to keep adapting individually and collectively.
Why the full-backs tell the real story
The more revealing selection call is at full-back, where Alex Valle and Ivan Smolcic come in for Yan Couto and Bruno Kaiki. Fabregas was explicit that the pair used against Roma had been picked for their attacking thrust, and that Rotterdam called for something more cautious. Swapping an advancing full-back pairing for a steadier one changes how a team transitions defensively: wide areas are less exposed to counters, at some cost to the overland supply that Couto and Kaiki can offer going forward.
Fabregas backed the credentials of his chosen pair rather than treating the change as a downgrade, pointing out that Valle and Smolcic played all season as Como finished fourth in Serie A. His reasoning leaned on more than scouting: "I trust what I see in my squad, studying the opponents, and trusting my own experience as a player."
He situated that caution within the wider unpredictability of the competition, citing Bayern Munich being held by Viking and Barcelona needing to come from behind after nearly conceding twice. "The Champions League is unforgiving, there are moments when you need a little more stability," he said.
Fabregas also drew a contrast with the demands of facing Roma, whom he described as playing man-to-man across the pitch, a defensive approach his side chose to confront head-on rather than avoid. "As coaches we have to think of something different in every match and hope that we get it right," he said, framing the Feyenoord selection as the latest version of that search rather than a settled blueprint.
Como's task now is to show that the identity which beat Leipzig can survive contact with a different kind of opponent, one that sits in a more organised defensive shape than most Serie A sides they have faced this season. The outcome at De Kuip will say as much about Fabregas' in-game adjustments as about the selection he has made before kick-off.