Serie B: Fabregas' magic touch has Como climbing the table
Parma and Venezia share first place at the top of the Serie B table at the end of Matchday 15 with 33 points each, but not to far behind them are Como, who have been earning some positive results under new coach Cesc Fabregas.
The Gialloblu needed an own goal from Joao Moutinho to defeat Spezia while the Arancioneroverdi defeated Ascoli 3-1. Five points behind them are the Lariani, who defeated Sudtirol 1-0 on Sunday evening and they have jumped to third place.
Meanwhile, Brescia and Lecco are now up to speed with the other Serie B teams after playing their final catch-up games midweek. The Rondinelle drew 1-1 with Sudtirol and the Blucelesti played out a scoreless draw with Como.
Fabregas brings Como towards the top with win against struggling Sudtirol
Prior to the appointment of Cesc Fabregas as senior coach, the Spaniard had been coaching the Como Primavera squad while the seniors were in sixth place in Serie B under conservative tactician Moreno Longo. During the international break in November, the Lariani sacked Longo due to the lack of style in their play.
Mirwan Suwarso, an official representative of the Lombard club's ownership group, said on November 13: "We thank Moreno Longo for all his hard work and dedication, especially after coming in following a difficult period last season. However, we would like to embark on a new path that hopefully will provide more excitement and entertainment for the fans in Como and beyond."
Since replacing Longo, Fabregas has accumulated seven out of a possible nine points, and a solitary goal from Oliver Abildgaard was enough to secure victory against Sudtirol in their latest game. Having played under attack-minded coaches like Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, the Catalan would have felt some extra satisfaction at beating the ultra-defensive Pierpaolo Bisoli.
The victory takes Como to 28 points whereas Sudtirol have dropped to 13th after losing for the fourth time in five matches. Although they were making steady progress under Longo, the Lombard club are on the rise with Fabregas.
Palermo experience another slip-up against Catanzaro
In the earlier rounds of the 2023/24 Serie B campaign, it seemed that Palermo were going to push the likes of Parma and Venezia for promotion to Serie A, but the Rosanero have lost four of their last six matches.
Their latest defeat was in the opening Matchday 15 fixture on Friday evening at home to Catanzaro. The Calabrians were in a confident mood after defeating regional rivals Cosenza 2-0 in the previous round and they demonstrated that they are team back in form when they made the trip to Sicily.
Pietro Iemmello gave the Giallorossi the lead just before half-time with an effort from close range and Tommaso Biasci doubled their lead four minutes into the second half after beating Palermo goalkeeper Mirko Pigliacelli and shrugging off the chase from Claudio Gomes.
Leo Stulac pulled a goal back for the Rosanero with a powerful header, and Jacopo Segre nearly got a late equaliser, but Catanzaro goalkeeper Andrea Fulignati made the crucial save.
The Calabrian club have now jumped to fourth place in the Serie B table with 27 points whereas the Sicilians have dropped down to eighth place on 24 points. The Catanzaresi have ended their slump whereas the Palermitani are still enduring theirs.
Serie B 2023/24: Matchday 3 catch-up results
| Date | Fixtures/Results |
| Tue, Nov 28 | Como 0-0 Lecco |
| Tue, Nov 28 | Sudtirol 1-1 Brescia |
Serie B 2023/24: Matchday 15 results
| Date | Fixtures/Results |
| Fri, Dec 1 | Palermo 1-2 Catanzaro |
| Sat, Dec 2 | Cosenza 1-3 Ternana |
| Sat, Dec 2 | Feralpisalo 0-1 Cittadella |
| Sat, Dec 2 | Modena 2-1 Reggiana |
| Sat, Dec 2 | Pisa 0-0 Cremonese |
| Sat, Dec 2 | Venezia 3-1 Ascoli |
| Sat, Dec 2 | Spezia 0-1 Parma |
| Sun, Dec 3 | Brescia 3-1 Sampdoria |
| Sun, Dec 3 | Lecco 1-0 Bari |
| Sun, Dec 3 | Sudtirol 0-1 Como |
Serie B 2023/24: Table after Matchday 14
| Pos | Club | MP | Pts |
| 1 | Venezia | 15 | 33 |
| 2 | Parma | 15 | 33 |
| 3 | Como | 15 | 28 |
| 4 | Catanzaro | 15 | 27 |
| 5 | Cremonese | 15 | 26 |
| 6 | Modena | 15 | 26 |
| 7 | Cittadella | 15 | 25 |
| 8 | Palermo | 15 | 24 |
| 9 | Cosenza | 15 | 19 |
| 10 | Bari | 15 | 18 |
| 11 | Pisa | 15 | 18 |
| 12 | Brescia | 15 | 18 |
| 13 | Sudtirol | 15 | 17 |
| 14 | Reggiana | 15 | 16 |
| 15 | Lecco | 15 | 16 |
| 16 | Sampdoria | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | Ascoli | 15 | 13 |
| 18 | Ternana | 15 | 11 |
| 19 | Spezia | 15 | 10 |
| 20 | Feralpisalo | 15 | 7 |