Fabregas benches Nico Paz as Como beat Sassuolo 2-0

Fabregas rotates as Douvikas fires Como to record start

Como moved further clear at the top of their 2026-27 Serie A campaign with a 2-0 home win over Sassuolo on Saturday, with Tasos Douvikas scoring both goals in the second half despite star playmaker Nico Paz remaining an unused substitute.

Douvikas netted his first home Serie A goal since last March against Pisa and extended his run to at least four consecutive games with a goal in all competitions for the first time in his career since his debut in Europe’s top five leagues.

Record points and defensive solidity

The victory took Como to 17 points after eight matchdays of 2026-27 Serie A, a club record for the points tally at this stage of a single Serie A campaign. The club has also scored 14 goals after eight games, its best return at this point of a season, matching the 1950-51 campaign.

Defensively, Como have kept four clean sheets in their last five Serie A home games, as many as they managed in their previous ten home league fixtures. Since the start of last season, only Roma with 13 have kept more home clean sheets than Como with 12 in Serie A.

Fabregas on Paz benching and squad management

Fabregas insisted the decision to leave Paz on the bench was about managing energy over a congested fixture schedule rather than a dip in form.

"We cannot always go at full speed, but if we want to be this team, then we've got to find the energy from somewhere," Fabregas told DAZN Italia. "That is only possible if the coach trusts every member of the squad, knowing he can change and give everyone an opportunity."

"There are thousands of moments in a season; we are learning every day, and the team is going through a growth process."

Fabregas highlighted the preparation gap for the fixture: "Sassuolo had eight days to prepare for this match; now we've got Torino coming up, who played on Friday and have 24 hours of added rest. This is a big difference this season, and we're still getting used to it."