Fabregas Lashes Out at Morata After Costly Red Card in Como's Fiorentina Collapse

Cesc Fabregas has come down hard on former Chelsea colleague Alvaro Morata following Como's damaging 2-1 reversal against Fiorentina on Saturday, with the Italian club's boss offering some choice words about handling pressure in the professional game.

Morata saw red in the closing moments after accumulating two bookings within 60 seconds, and Fabregas made little effort to soften his criticism in the aftermath. The Como manager suggested that players unable to manage the rigours of football ought to consider an alternative profession entirely.

"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."

The defeat leaves Como seventh in Serie A, now five points adrift of fourth-placed Juventus and their Champions League ambitions looking increasingly distant. Fabregas, who has earned considerable praise for his coaching work at the Lombardy outfit in recent seasons, also took aim at his own side's overall performance, particularly their failure to match the occasion's importance.

"I'm annoyed that I wasn't able to help the boys understand the importance of the game," the former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder explained.

"I showed them my experience as a footballer during the week, maybe too much, but it wasn't enough. We're a young team."

The second-half display drew particular ire from Fabregas, who suggested the match descended into something far removed from proper football. He acknowledged his own shortcomings in conveying the necessary intensity to his players, admitting that motivation proved the deciding factor.

"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," he said.

"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."

Fabregas has attracted considerable interest from Premier League clubs heading into the summer window, and he has previously confirmed that English football represents his ultimate managerial destination. Back in 2023, the 37-year-old outlined his ambitions in no uncertain terms.

"The Premier League is the objective; it is the biggest dream a coach can have," he stated at that time.

"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."

Fabregas also revealed that stepping into a coaching role has reignited a competitive fire that had dimmed during his final years as a player, with injuries taking their toll on his enthusiasm for the game.

"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," he reflected.

"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."