Como's 9-1 rout of Lens is no fluke: The project behind Serie A's Champions League surprise

Four matchdays into the Champions League season, only Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Arsenal have performed better than Como. The Italian club holds a superior goal difference to Barcelona, Manchester City and Liverpool, and has collected more points than Bayern Munich as well as Serie A rivals Inter, AS Roma and Napoli.

The statement result came this week with a 9-1 away victory at Lens, one of the greatest wins in the European history of Italian soccer. Como became just the second team in Champions League history to score nine goals in a single game. Rather than a shock, the result reflects a long-term project built on a clear vision, a talented roster and one of the best emerging coaches in Europe.

That coach is Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard first joined Como as a player before retiring, then began his coaching career at the club with the Under-23 side. In the three years since he took over the first team, he has delivered promotion to Serie A, a 10th-place finish in his first top-flight season and Champions League qualification in his second.

Beyond results, Como have played with a consistent tactical identity built around attacking football and an intense high press, producing some of the most entertaining performances the league has seen in recent years. Fabregas has refused to compromise his principles, and so far he has achieved success on his own terms.

That independence is supported by the club itself, and by Fabregas's position as a minority shareholder. When Inter tried to hire him to replace Simone Inzaghi in the summer of 2025, the club and coach agreed to continue together despite interest from multiple sides. President Mirwan Suwarso has acknowledged publicly that Fabregas could leave one day, but it would be hard for the coach to find another club where his views and decisions are so concretely backed.

On the pitch, Argentine midfielder Nico Paz best embodies the club's transfer strategy. Paz first arrived in the summer of 2024 on a permanent deal from Real Madrid worth 6 million euros, with the Spanish club inserting a 50 percent sell-on clause, the right to match any outside offer, and options to re-sign him for 9, 10 or 11 million euros across the following three summer windows.

In the summer of 2026, Como moved to secure him fully, agreeing a club-record fee of around 60 million euros and extending his contract on a long-term basis, while Real Madrid retained an option to bring him back in the summer of 2027 for 80 million euros. Crucially, the player himself wanted to stay despite the chance to return to Madrid.

Paz is not just a gifted midfielder but the new face of Argentina after Lionel Messi retired from the national team earlier this year. In his four Champions League appearances so far, he has produced three goals, including a brace against Manchester United, and five assists.

Elsewhere, a coach like Fabregas and a player like Paz might be seen as simply waiting for a bigger offer. At Como, the long-term model is designed to keep both for years while competing for major honors. Winning trophies is no longer just an ambition for the club; it is becoming the next objective, and nights like the one at Lens are the proof.