Thierry Henry credits Cesc Fabregas for Como’s 4-1 Champions League demolition of Manchester United

Henry hails Fabregas’ recruitment after historic Como win

Arsenal legend and Como minority shareholder Thierry Henry has singled out Cesc Fabregas for assembling a squad of largely unknown players that produced one of the club’s biggest nights with a 4-1 Champions League win over Manchester United on Wednesday.

Como beat Manchester United 4-1 in the Champions League league phase round 3. Nico Paz made headlines with two goals and one assist, but Henry stressed Como’s collective performance was dominant from the start. The Argentine opened the scoring after just two minutes, assisted Anastasios Douvikas in the second half and then scored his second of the night.

Speaking on the CBS Champions League Show, Henry pointed to the profile of players Fabregas has brought to the Lariani:

“To see players like Jacobo Ramon, Yan Couto. People will talk about Nico Paz, or about Da Cunha because he plays for the French national team. But to be able to go and get players that not a lot of people knew, to make a team out of it. Look at where they are, where we are,”

Henry added:

“You can watch that every game in Italy. Cesc wants to dominate, put pressure. There’s a clear idea on and off the ball. This doesn’t mean you’ll win every single game, but when you watch the team, you know what they are about. They don’t panic.”

Como finished fourth in Serie A last season, reaching Champions League qualification for the first time in their history. With six points from three Champions League matches so far this season, they are the better-placed Italian side in the league phase.

“That’s what happened, and you arrive now beating Man United 4-1. Which doesn’t mean anything apart from the fact that you beat Man United 4-1, and that is also the biggest result in the history of the club. One of the best nights ever. You want more nights like that,” Henry continued.

The Frenchman, a former Arsenal teammate of Fabregas with whom he played 100 games for the Gunners, reiterated the coach’s influence in shaping the Como project.

“How Cesc managed to put that team together. Now you’ll tell me Da Cunha is good,” Henry concluded. “You’ll tell me Nico Paz is good. Or Jacobo Ramon. But nobody told me that two years ago or three years ago, when they were in Serie B. That’s all down to Cesc and what’s happening there with the community that embraces Cesc and the new ownership.”