Fabregas: Champions League night is historic, but Como-Parma is next

"I am happy, but this happiness will last for 5 minutes because we have to prepare for the match against Parma." This is how Cesc Fabregas spoke to Sky after the victory against RB Leipzig in their Champions League debut. The Como coach's focus remains on the field, already looking ahead to the next league game: "It's a historic night for the club and the city, but now we need humility and to continue working. Serie A always remains an important competition that gives us confidence for the entire season. We are a young team and we must not let the Champions League drain our energy; we need to be performing every day." Regarding Baturina, who scored a goal and provided an assist in the first half: "I trust him a lot, I try to give him freedom on the field, but when I shout at all our talents, it's because they forget to do the defensive work."

Fabregas: 'We need to be patient'

In the second half, after substitutions, Como switched to a back three, a tactic that had also been used against Napoli: "We want to be a dominant team, but we also need to know how to manage the game," Fabregas explained regarding his decision. "In Naples, it was hot and impossible to press the whole game. In Genoa, we didn't switch to five at the back, but we still managed well. Today, however, we did because after being up 3-0, they were pushing down the flanks, increasing physicality, and my players were tired. We had many counter-attacks, and we could have scored more goals, but we need to manage games. What is the team's condition? We have many new players like Kaiki, Kean, Milla, Couto... We still need to adjust some things defensively. Getting everyone in the best condition requires time." He concluded by speaking about Diao, another key protagonist of the evening: "Last year he was out for 9 months. Having a player of this potential always helps, which is why last year's work was important. For me, he and other players are not expensive; we pay for quality and put them in a position to develop their potential. He has just turned 21, many of our players are young, and we need to be patient, but in today's football, there isn't much of that."

Nico Paz: 'In the second half I had more space'

"A historic night, it was an incredible match, we are happy with our performance," said Nico Paz to Sky Sport after the game, where he contributed with two assists. "I stayed at Como for these nights; this was the ideal place to grow," the number 10 for Lariani said about his summer decision to stay. Regarding Baturina, the absolute star of the first half: "Baturina is an incredible player," admitted Nico Paz. "He had a lot of space to cause damage." In the second half, the Argentine also sacrificed himself defensively: "After going up 3-1, I widened out because we needed to defend. I found energy from somewhere, I defended as best I could. It was a difficult game because I was marking an opponent man-to-man, I didn't receive many passes alone. In the second half, I had more space, but you can always do better," he concluded.

Diao: 'I realized a dream'

Assane Diao spoke to Sky after the match: "We couldn't have started better. We are happy with the performance and the victory, it's even more beautiful in front of our fans. Everyone's dream is to play in the Champions League; I was already thinking about the anthem this week. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, and I've realized this dream."