‘Play another sport’ – Cesc Fabregas brutally hits out at ex-Chelsea teammate after costly red card

Cesc Fabregas gave a damning assessment of Alvaro Morata following his bizarre red card for Como.

The striker was dismissed for picking up two quickfire yellows late on in their 2-1 Serie A defeat at home to Fiorentina.

Serie A YouTube

Serie A YouTube

Morata was involved in an off-the-ball altercation with Luca Ranieri, who gave him a slight nudge to send him to the turf.

Just seconds after, the Como man appeared to lean his head into the Fiorentina defender.

Ranieri fell to the floor and he was seen holding his face in apparent pain as his teammates protested to the referee.

Morata was initially shown one yellow card but then swiftly given a second, much to his surprise.

Como boss Fabregas, who made 61 appearances alongside Morata for Spain and Chelsea, made his thoughts clear in a post-match interview.

“Provocation is part of football,” he told DAZN via Tuttomercatoweb.

“Those who can’t live with it should play another sport. I expect much more from an experienced player like him.

“We shouldn’t find excuses, and we shouldn’t care what others do on the pitch.”

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Getty

What else did Fabregas say?

Speaking on the loss to Fiorentina post-match, Fabregas said: “I’m annoyed that I wasn’t able to help the boys understand the importance of the game.

“I showed them my experience as a footballer during the week, maybe too much, but it wasn’t enough. We’re a young team.

“It wasn’t a football match in the second half. Leaving that aside, the game has to be won with the right motivation and energy.

“I feel bad as a coach, because I wasn’t able to convey this to my players today. Maybe it was in our heads. We made a mistake in our attitude, we have to show more desire.

“I didn’t like the first half very much, the second half, I repeat, wasn’t a game of football.”

Fabregas firing Como towards Europe

Away from this defeat, former midfielder Fabregas has made a hugely impressive start to his managerial career at Como.

He first joined the Italian club in July 2023 as their U19 and B-team head coach before taking the position in the senior side a year later.

Como finished tenth in their first season back in Serie A but are now seventh in the standings despite their defeat to Fiorentina.

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They have a game in hand over Atalanta, who are sitting just a point above them.

Champions League qualification is the reward for teams who finish in the top four.

And with Como only five points adrift of fourth, this is certainly an achievable target throughout the rest of the season.

A fifth-place finish would mean Europa League football, whilst sixth grants entry to the Conference League play-off round.