It has been a mixed bag at the Euros for Chelsea fans. Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher have largely been on the bench, Armando Broja was dropped for Albania’s second outing, and Mykhailo Murdyk has been his usual self. Despite that, things are looking up for once-panned signing Marc Cucurella who has been impressive for Spain in the left-back role.
Marc Cucurella Could Play Himself Into Enzo Maresca’s First Team
Massive Turnaround
To say things weren’t going well for the former Brighton & Hove Albion man would be an understatement. Ben Chilwell’s injury issues thrust him into the spotlight of an underperforming Blues team. A poor first campaign saw the 25-year-old shopped around with links to Manchester United popping up last summer.
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At the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign Levi Colwill was the first-choice left-back with Chilwell second in the rotation. Underperformances from the former and an injury to the latter as well as a number of defenders opened the door for Cucurella to get some game time.
Unfortunately for the Spanish international, he too succumbed to injury. After this spell on the sidelines, he returned to a team with very few defensive options, forcing him into the starting lineup whether Mauricio Pochettino planned on it or not. After some poor overall performances in a team that was woeful defensively, things turned around for both the player and the club.
Towards the end of the term, the Blues kicked into gear and strung together a run of results. One of the key factors in that run was an improved control over games stemming from Cucurella playing as an inverted full-back. Alongside Moises Caicedo, the duo were able to dominate the midfield battles with the Spaniard also capable of getting back quickly to cover open space on the left-hand side of the back line.
Euros Standout & Maresca Decision
After a strong end to the season, the left-back was included in Spain’s squad for Euro 2024. He has been picked ahead of Alejandro Grimaldo to start both outings so far and he has repaid the manager’s faith with some standout performances.
This will have some bearing on the mind of new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. The Italian, like Luis de la Fuente prefers to play in a 4-3-3 with an emphasis on keeping possession. Key to that setup is one full-back inverting, which we saw Cucurella excel at towards the end of Pochettino’s tenure, and now again at the European Championship.
With Chilwell sure to be fit for the start of the next term, there is competition for a starting role under Maresca, but recent performances could put the Spanish international ahead of the Champions League winner. Despite his talents, the Englishman is a very different style of player, he prefers to bomb forward and cover space as a traditional wing-back, tucking in and playing centrally may not get the best use out of him,
Regardless of what decision the new Chelsea manager makes, one cannot say that Cucurella hasn’t given him a selection headache at what has otherwise been a forgettable Euros for Blues fans.
