Como boss Cesc Fabregas highlighted the extreme intensity of Antonio Conte’s training sessions, saying they often left him close to fainting. The former Barcelona and Arsenal midfielder played under Conte at Chelsea during the Italian’s spell at Stamford Bridge between 2016 and 2018. Despite the demanding workload, Fabregas described Conte as a great coach.
When Conte managed Fabregas at Chelsea
Fabregas joined Chelsea in 2014 when Jose Mourinho brought him back to the Premier League. Two years later, Conte arrived as head coach and began with a 4-2-3-1 system. But after a run of poor results, including the 3-0 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates, Conte switched to a 3-4-3 formation that completely changed Chelsea’s season. In this setup, Fabregas often found himself behind the preferred midfield pairing of Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante, regularly coming on as an impact substitute.
Even without being a consistent starter, he remained hugely influential, using his exceptional passing and creativity to break down defences at crucial moments. Under Conte, Fabregas made 86 appearances in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and delivering 23 assists. His contributions were key in Chelsea’s success, including the 2016–17 Premier League title and an FA Cup win, marking a strong and memorable phase in his Stamford Bridge career.
AdvertisementGettyConte's intense training sessions
Conte’s training sessions were famously brutal, to the point that Chelsea’s then captain John Terry once approached him to reduce their intensity. Although the Italian coach eventually agreed, he later revealed that his former teammates Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane had trained much harder than the Chelsea side that won the 2016–17 Premier League title.
In an interview to , Fabregas praised Conte as a great coach but recalled just how demanding his methods were, saying: “He's great. I really like him. But his training sessions at Chelsea are exhausting.”
The intensity of those sessions even left Fabregas close to fainting, as he explained: “At the end of the session, I had to lean on a teammate because I was fainting from exhaustion.”
Fabregas and Conte's career trajectory
After departing Chelsea, Fabregas continued his playing career with spells at Monaco and later Como, where he eventually transitioned into management in 2023. Despite being a young coach, he quickly impressed with his clarity of ideas and strong tactical organisation. In his first full season in charge, Fabregas guided Como to a solid 10th-place finish in the 2024-25 Serie A campaign, laying the foundations for a more ambitious project. This season, Como have taken a significant step forward, earning eye-catching results such as a 2-0 victory over Juventus and a hard-fought 0-0 draw against defending champions Napoli. These performances have pushed them to seventh in the table, only four points behind fourth-placed Napoli, keeping their hopes of European qualification very much alive.
Conte, on the other hand, has carved out a distinct managerial journey since leaving Chelsea. He took charge of Inter in 2019, guiding them to a Europa League final in his first season and winning the Scudetto in 2020-21, ending Juventus’ long domestic dominance. In 2024, Conte accepted the challenge at Napoli and immediately delivered their fourth Serie A title, the club’s second in three years. However, this season has been far more complicated. Napoli have struggled for attacking fluency, suffering two defeats in their last five league games and failing to score in three straight matches across all competitions. These issues have placed scrutiny on Conte, who has acknowledged the need for serious discussions with club officials to address the team’s trajectory and avoid repeating the dramatic collapse of the 2023-24 season, when Napoli finished 10th just a year after winning the Scudetto.
Getty ImagesCan Conte turn around napoli's fortunes ?
With Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis publicly backing Conte and dismissing rumours about his resignation, Conte’s future at the club appears secure. During the international break, Conte would have taken time to assess the situation at Napoli, especially as he faces the difficult task of turning their season around without Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne.
Meanwhile, Como and Fabregas will use the international break to work on new strategies to maximise the output of key players like Nico Paz, whose praises Fabregas sang this week. With the right adjustments, Como will hope to push for a top four finish.