Chelsea boss Graham Potter defends Marc Cucurella amidst widespread criticism
Speaking to the media ahead of the next game (h/t Football.London), Chelsea boss Graham Potter has defended Marc Cucurella amidst criticism of his form and suitability at the club.
A few days ago, Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf gave a scathing review of Cucurella and vehemently said that the Spaniard has no place in the Blues side as he is not good enough for this level.
After Chelsea’s game against Manchester City in the league early last month, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher went hard on the former Brighton defender, saying he did not want to defend and got beaten too easily at times.
Potter previously said that the player is going through some off-field issues, here’s what he said now (h/t Football.London):
“They are humans with private lives and things going on. Marc is not the only one. At the same time, you understand supporters pay their money and the most important thing is what happens on that pitch over 90 minutes. But nevertheless, players have to deal with stuff.
“Marc is fine, he’s going about his work. He knows he is probably not in the best moment of form but he isn’t the only player who has to come through a moment. He is a player the club invested money in during the summer and it is our job to help him, support him, and bring him to the place where he is showing everyone his qualities.”
Although it is not a pleasing thing to talk about, Cucurella has been underwhelming since he made his debut for Chelsea. So, his form may or may not be dependent on what has happened to him off the field.
The fact that Chelsea paid £63m for the 24-year-old makes the situation worse. As much as there is a price limit for players of any position, spending that amount of money on a fullback and not getting returns so far is bound to create frustration among supporters and pundits.
But for Potter, having worked with him at Brighton before meeting up again here, it is important that he protects the integrity of the player in the media light and try to encourage him to play better. The pressure is on that’s for sure.
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With Ben Chilwell back fit and in the squad, we might see Cucurella being rotated out of the starting XI soon. That might probably be the best thing for him. Moving away from the spotlight to work on the game is what will help him to start playing better.