
Acosta avisa: "La KTM va espectacular en la lluvia"
Pedro Acosta destaca el gran rendimiento de la KTM en lluvia tras su victoria en MotoGP.

Cesc FĂ bregas is leading Como's remarkable rise in Serie A, pushing for Champions League qualification in just their second year back. The club has transformed from a struggling team in Serie D to attracting sell-out crowds and showcasing an exciting style of play.
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The serene sound of lapping water is broken only by the whir of a seaplane engine swooping to land. Outside the hangar to which the aircraft will soon return, a crowd has gathered well before kick-off. Later, most will scale the steep steps of the adjacent Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
To the right sits Villa Carminati, a new private membersâ club that also houses hospitality guests on matchdays. It is a unique setting for a unique football club. When bathed in sunshine, as was the case for last Sundayâs goalless draw with Napoli, Como 1907 is a waterside paradise. Or, as their president Mirwan Suwarso puts it when drawing parallels between the club and Disney, it is the âtheme parkâ division of the âmain brand ⊠Lake Comoâ.
The scene now, though, is markedly different to when the Indonesian Djarum Group bought the club in 2019. Back then, after a series of bankruptcies, Como competed in a 168-team, nine-group, Serie D. Amateur football played in front of a few hundred loyal fans.
Now, having meandered through 119 years of existence, 12,000 sell-out crowds are watching head coach Cesc FĂ bregasâs side pushing for Champions League qualification in only their second year back in Serie A.
Such rapid success has the footballing world rubber-necking. On the field, FĂ bregas is front and centre. His formula should not work but somehow does. With Italian football dominated by 3-5-2, FĂ bregas plays 4-2-3-1. Como have the most possession in Serie A but also deploy a high-intensity press. They have the divisionâs meanest defence but are easy on the eye and have scored more than anyone bar Inter.
âInnovation is very important,â FĂ bregas says shortly after his pre-Napoli press conference. âBut more than innovation is new ideas. You have to comprehend your own team, to see where your team is. We have a very young team, one of the youngest teams in Europe, so we have to be very aware of that. Everyone has their own timing of development.
âI push a lot. I try to set the standards quite high depending on what they give me and how open they are to new things and to grow and to get better and to listen. We always try to bring players here that are humble enough, are hungry enough, to be able to listen and to learn.â

Cesc FĂ bregas has transformed Como's style of play, leading them to have the most possession in Serie A and a strong defensive record.
Since the Djarum Group bought Como in 2019, the club has risen from Serie D to Serie A, now competing for Champions League qualification.
Under Cesc FĂ bregas, Como employs a 4-2-3-1 formation, differing from the typical 3-5-2 used in Italian football.
Como's sell-out crowds of 12,000 reflect the club's resurgence and growing popularity as they compete at a higher level in Serie A.

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Mirwan Suwarso, president of Como since the takeover by Indonesiaâs Djarum Group in 2019. Photograph: Marta Clinco/The Guardian
The press conference itself, FĂ bregas handled masterfully. He was engaged and, at times, spoke passionately. Attempts to draw a clickbait headline were glided past in the same effortless way he picked passes in his prime with Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and Spain.
He is obsessive, regularly spending 16-hour days at Comoâs Mozzate training ground. But he is relaxed and, despite the infancy of his coaching career, able to laugh at his own mistakes.
âI look at when we got promoted from Serie B to Serie A and I look at the team doing certain things that at the time were working wonders for us and now Iâm saying: âI would never do this in my life,ââ he says grinning. âI do want to look back and remember that itâs been a long way and that we were humble enough and open-minded enough to be always constantly growing and getting better, you know?â
FĂ bregas joined Como as a player in August 2022, retiring the following summer and immediately beginning to coach the primavera (under-19) team.
In November 2023 he became interim first-team manager. FĂ bregas then assisted Osian Roberts who is now head of development â while he completed his coaching badges. After the pair secured promotion, FĂ bregas was appointed permanent manager. Como finished 10th in Serie A the following season.

Osian Roberts, who as head of development is looking to secure Comoâs long-term success. Photograph: Marta Clinco/The Guardian
To outsiders Comoâs ascent has seemed seamless but it has required meticulous management. âYou have to be very careful about group dynamics,â says Roberts, who arrived on minority shareholder Thierry Henryâs recommendation. âKeeping the chemistry is not easy with such a high turnover of players, which was a risk but a necessary one.â.
As counterbalance, FĂ bregas brought in players âsome of whom heâd played with, that he knew would help really manage the dressing room at crucial timesâ. Examples last season included the now retired Pepe Reina and RaphaĂ«l Varane. The latter remains involved as an invester â FĂ bregas also hold shares â a club ambassador and a director, providing strategic advice and playing an active role in the clubâs youth focus.
Regular substitutes this year, including last Sunday, have been Ălvaro Morata and Sergi Roberto, both Champions League winners. While each has passed their lofty peaks, they are invaluable, within the playing group and among fans.
Take Morata, who before the match tried to high-five a mascot only for an official to accidentally intervene. A second later Morata doubled back to ensure the youngster did not leave disappointed. Small things create lasting memories.
Comoâs headline grabbers, though, have been the young stars. Argentinian NicolĂĄs Paz, 21, is a silky No 10 with 18 league goal involvements this season. He has also won the third most tackles in the league. Paz was signed for âŹ6m in 2024, with Real Madrid retaining a buy-back clause for the next two summers.
Comoâs relationship with Madrid is a strong one, with âŹ2.5m centre-back Jacobo RamĂłn, 21, this seasonâs standout arrival. Other young signings excelling include Lucas Da Cunha, Ălex Valle, Assane Diao and ex-Manchester City man MĂĄximo Perrone.
FĂ bregas has the final say, but leans heavily on a recruitment team headed by Barend Verkerk. As a child, the Dutchman played Football Manager by exporting data into a spreadsheet and inputting his own algorithms. Now he is âin charge of putting the names on the tableâ, with a data scout, six full-time scouts (including one each in key-focus regions Scandinavia and Spain), three tactical analysts and two sports psychologists all reporting to him.
Robertsâs role is now wider. He is there to build the future foundations. âThere are two things that have always been close to my heart,â Roberts says. âDeveloping players and developing staff. If we can continue to do that then they will help the club to form a strong foundation that will be here for many years to come.â
The womenâs team have just been promoted to Serie A for the first time, while the primavera are a final-day win from also achieving that.

Barend Verkerk, director of recruitment at Como, developed his own algorithms for Football Manager in his youth. Photograph: Marta Clinco/The Guardian
Sustainability will be key to Comoâs long-term success. The most recent accounts show a pre-tax loss of âŹ105.1m, although Suwarso likens them to a âstart-upâ and is aspiring for profitability within two years. However, while the stadium will receive a facelift and a few thousand new seats in 2027, it cannot hope to compete with neighbours Inter and Milan commercially. At least, not conventionally.
âWe didnât want to become, what was trending at the time, a multi-club ownership model,â Suwarso says. âWe wanted to become what we call the multi-club servicing model. Everything weâve learned in Como can be offered as a service to other sports organisations.â
Examples of such learnings include software for data analytics, player behaviour analysis software, and health tracking. âThe football team is proof of concept.â
Then there is the tourist element. The clubâs website offers a variety of premium lake-side packages, while hospitality packages are sold out well in advance and attract celebrities. Visitors have included the actor Damian Lewis and UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett.
Fashion is vital, too, with designer Rhuigi Villaseñor appointed as chief brand officer. Adidas now make Comoâs kit, while collaborators include Rhude â Villaseñorâs LA streetwear brand â and Italian suit makers Brioni. As part of its multi-club servicing model, Rhude 4 Fans will provide capsule collections for clubs including Everton and Tottenham.

Cesc FĂ bregas before Comoâs recent Serie A match against Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. Photograph: NicolĂČ Campo/LightRocket/Getty Images
Within all of this, there has been a conscious effort not to alienate history. There is little crossover in the Venn diagram of Como citizens and those who occupy the glitzy hotels around the lake or can afford âŹ500 for a pair of designer shorts.
âEverything that we do, we try to make sure that the interests of the core fans are protected,â Suwarso says, adding that season-ticket holders from the clubâs Serie C days still pay virtually the same for entry.
âWe are foreigners who came here to manage an Italian soccer team. The people of Como are very proud of their origin. They have their own culture. When we first came, we immediately tried to learn what is the core of our fans. What do they want? What do they stand for? Who are they?
âAs we developed our branding and communication strategy, which is basically the DNA of the team itself, we agreed that we have to become something truly Como. Thatâs why we picked up the slogan âSemm Cumaschâ â âWe are Comoâ.â
Truly Como is becoming truly special. The club is just taking off.