Como head coach Cesc Fabregas hit out at former Chelsea teammate Alvaro Morata after his side’s 2-1 loss against Serie A rivals Fiorentina.
Fabregas has done a superb job at Como in recent years as he has established himself as one of the best young coaches in Europe.
The former Chelsea, Arsenal and FC Barcelona star is being linked with several Premier League clubs ahead of the summer, but he is currently looking to guide Como into the Champions League.
Como are currently seventh in Serie A and five points adrift of fourth-placed Juventus after the 2-1 loss to 17th-placed Fiorentina on Saturday.
Morata was sent off in the closing stages of the game after picking up two bookings in a minute and Fabregas did not hold back with his assessment of the experienced striker after the game.
“Provocation is part of football. Those who can’t live with it should change careers,” Fabregas told DAZN.
“I expect much more from an experienced player like him. The line between winning and losing is very thin so we shouldn’t find excuses, and we shouldn’t care what others do on the pitch.”
When discussing Como’s defeat more generally, Fabregas added: “I’m annoyed that I wasn’t able to help the boys understand the importance of the game.
“I showed them my experience as a footballer during the week, maybe too much, but it wasn’t enough. We’re a young team.
“It wasn’t a football match in the second half. Leaving that aside, the game has to be won with the right motivation and energy.
“I feel bad as a coach, because I wasn’t able to convey this to my players today. Maybe it was in our heads. We made a mistake in our attitude, we have to show more desire.
“I didn’t like the first half very much, the second half, I repeat, wasn’t a game of football.”
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As mentioned, Fabregas is linked with a move to the Premier League, and he admitted in 2023 that managing in this league is his “objective”.
“The Premier League is the objective; it is the biggest dream a coach can have,” Fabregas said in 2023.
“But let’s keep improving. Have I got it in me? Time will tell. I believe so much in my methodology and every day you learn so much. Expectations are there but it is what you do and how you manage those expectations.”
He added: “The biggest thing that I’m so happy about is that in the last couple of seasons because of injuries I was losing the fire inside me, maybe because I was worried about how I was feeling.
“Since I’ve started coaching, from day one, the fire is back. Something has been brought back inside me from my early days that I had lost. Something I haven’t felt for some time.”
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