Como left Udinese with a 1-1 draw on opening day, but the result was only part of the story. Trevoh Chalobah, Luis Milla and Anastasios Douvikas were all thrown straight into the starting XI, and the three new arrivals were involved in almost everything that mattered for Cesc Fabregas' side. Douvikas scored the equaliser, Chalobah settled quickly at the back and Milla had the sort of midfield outing Como wanted from a debutant.

Como's debut names were trusted immediately

Fabregas said Chalobah, Yan Couto and Milla were all thrown straight into the starting XI for their debuts, with Nico Paz also passed fit despite barely featuring in pre-season because of his World Cup involvement with Argentina. That sort of selection tells you plenty about how quickly Como's rebuild is being pushed along. There was no bedding-in period here.

The cleanest example was Chalobah. He posted a 7.7 rating, the best among Como's new starters, and completed 81 passes. Milla's 7.2 rating points to a debut built on control rather than flashes, which fits the way Como used him in midfield.

Douvikas gave the whole thing a more obvious payoff. He levelled in the 54th minute and finished with 1 goal from 3 shots on target. Fabregas summed up the afternoon by saying Udinese held Como to a 1-1 draw with both teams wasting golden opportunities to take all three points, as Tasos Douvikas cancelled out the Hassane Kamara chip.

Udinese's opener and Abankwah's return

Hassane Kamara put Udinese ahead with a 29th-minute goal from the Jürgen Ekkelenkamp assist, before Douvikas brought Como level early in the second half. The home side still had chances to win it, and Maduka Okoye made 5 saves to keep the point alive.

James Abankwah's return was the other notable subplot. RTE Sport reported that he made his first Serie A appearance in over 18 months, while the stats feed credited him with a 96-minute outing and a 6.9 rating. However the game is counted, the important part is that he was back in the division and stayed on the pitch for the full match.

The broader read is that Como's new shape already has a few live pieces. Chalobah looked settled, Milla looked reliable in possession and Douvikas gave them a goal away from home. The point at Udinese vs Como will not settle anything on its own, but it did show that the new arrivals are not waiting around to get involved.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →