Como, Fabregas: "Baturina is a bit anarchic, but he is incredible. Diao is on another level"

Como's manager previewed the match against Parma at the press conference

Fresh from that magical Champions League night at home to Leipzig, Como now turn back to Serie A. Parma head to the Sinigaglia on Monday 14 September for a 6.30pm kick-off, and they are not a side to take lightly.

That was the message from Como manager Cesc Fabregas in his pre-match press conference. He looked ahead to the game and, while a few changes to the line-up look likely, it will be hard for him to leave out key players such as Baturina and Diao.

Turnover?

"There are more than 24 hours to go and a player can recover very well in that amount of time. They are all available, they can all play (laughs). I also have to trust the fitness data, the doctor and what he tells me. I’m not just saying it for the sake of it, but there are 4-5 players who have done very well, but I still have some doubts and they could even play".

Everyone on the bandwagon

"Does it bother me that now everyone is jumping on the Como bandwagon? I am always very calm. Today is a time to stay calm, I do not get carried away now that we are doing ‘well’, even though we have won 3 matches. Or perhaps it has a different media impact. But when everything is going badly, it does not mean you are the weakest or the worst. We have to be good at understanding that, we have to shut ourselves off from this world. The less this is read, the better we can do our job."

Diego Carlos did not arrive due to details

"I spoke to Diego all summer, we have a terrific relationship. It’s true, he was always on our minds, we had a really good conversation when the move did not happen. But the most important thing is the regard there is, it is pleasing. A terrific lad, he was part of the family. In the end it did not happen because of a few small details, we will always thank him for that. At one point Kempf was a bit injured, Ramon had never played so much and he stepped up. We want to thank him."

Baturina

"Baturina is a slightly anarchic player, he has a great feel for the game. The first goal the other day, against Leipzig, if you only watch Martin it is incredible. He holds his width, drifts out, plays it back and never sprints, but in the end he pops up on the other side of the pitch, gets his body shape right and then there is Douvikas' one-on-one. Then he has the strength and ambition, as well as the hunger, to sprint into the box, slide in and put it in the net. It is a goal that shows you what kind of player he is. He is 23, he is part of the process, we found a place for him last year, he is growing, he goes to the World Cup, now he comes here full of confidence and with the humility and belief that he can tear the game open whatever the match."

DIAO

"Diao has gone up another level, he made a big impact when he arrived and your head does not help when it comes to injuries. Now he has found consistency. I see him as calm, whereas last year I saw him as unsettled and, if there was anything at all that was not going well, he would get nervous, he was afraid. Now he has peace of mind, he has found the right path and it is not easy after a long injury lay-off."

Against Parma, a game of energy

"Parma have players of a good level and the manager has been here for a year, he knows how to prepare matches well. They will come here and try to produce a good performance, they will see whether we are tired or not. Or at least, that is what I would do. Tomorrow we must be a team with huge energy."