'Barcelona make you look bad!' - Cesc Fabregas hails Hansi Flick's 'frightening' side ahead of Champions League reunion with Como

Flick has transformed Barcelona into a relentless machine, and few are more qualified to judge their progress than former midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The current Como head coach has been keeping a close eye on his former club's trajectory, particularly after their clinical 5-1 demolition of Feyenoord in the Champions League.

Speaking after Como's own demolition of RB Leipzig, the World Cup winner expressed his genuine awe at the standard being set in Catalonia. "I watched Barca’s match yesterday and I can tell you that Feyenoord are a very good side, but the thing is, Barca make you look bad because they find a way out of every situation at all times," Fabregas explained.

What impressed Fabregas most was the sheer variety of solutions Barcelona find on the pitch, regardless of how the opposition tries to stifle them. Whether facing a low block or aggressive pressing, the Blaugrana appear to have an answer for everything. Fabregas noted that even specific man-marking jobs on key individuals fail to disrupt the flow of the team, as the squad's collective intelligence allows them to bypass pressure points with ease.

"You can mark them man-to-man, as they tried with Rodri or Pedri, but they find solutions from all angles. Whoever plays, they’re of a very high standard. It’s frightening – the level they’re playing at right now is frightening," he added. This depth and adaptability have become hallmarks of the Flick era, with the German coach managing to extract elite performances from both veteran stars and the emerging talents of La Masia.

Fabregas is currently enjoying his own success in the dugout, having guided Como to a stunning 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig in their Champions League debut. However, the Spaniard is under no illusions about the step up in quality required to compete with the very best.

"In today’s football, you have to be prepared for anything. To be a complete team, you have to excel in many areas," the former Arsenal and Chelsea star remarked. "There are mini-matches within the matches and you have to know how to handle certain situations, especially at these levels.

"There are matches you can win by playing the same way throughout, and there are others where you have to know how to handle certain moments, especially at these levels which we’re not used to."

The tactical masterclass currently being delivered by Flick will be put to the test against Fabregas’ side later this season. Barcelona are scheduled to host Como at the Camp Nou on January 27 in the final round of the Champions League league phase.

While Como have proven they belong on the big stage with their emphatic start, facing Barcelona in their current form represents a different level of difficulty. The respect Fabregas holds for his former club is evident, but he will be tasked with finding a way to stop the "frightening" momentum he has so clearly identified.

Click here to read article