06 January 2023 , 10:24
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Marc Cucurella endured a night to forget in Chelsea's loss to Manchester City and was the subject of severe criticism after being run ragged at Stamford Bridge.
The Spaniard was linked with a switch to the Etihad in the summer but ultimately completed a £50million move to west London, where he has struggled to live up to his price tag. Cucurella is playing in a Chelsea side that are lacking form as they continue to slip away from the top four.
Cucurella's performance in their latest reverse has seen several pundits question his defensive ability. The 24-year-old, who has been deployed in several positions across the backline, was unable to track Riyad Mahrez, who scored City's winner, at the back post.
Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports: "I’m watching Cucurella defending, he’s got five yards on Riyad Mahrez, he runs back in but then he stops. It’s a fantastic ball across but Cucurella stops and it’s a simple tap-in. I’ve been questioning Cucurella in this second half. He doesn’t want to defend, certainly not one-on-one."
The Liverpool legend added on Cucurella: "When you’re talking about the price tag, he can’t defend. I actually think someone who doesn’t want to defend is worse, and it looked like he didn’t want to in one-on-one situations."
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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink also had his say, weighing in with: "He didn’t have a really good game at all, he was the weakest link. I think Chelsea played really well, but the weakest link was Cucurella and Man City acknowledged that. It’s a problem. He’s come from Brighton and not had the best start and today you could see it. I still think he wants to defend and wants to get better, but it has to happen quick."
Is Marc Cucurella good enough for Chelsea? Have your say in the comments!
Marc Cucurella has struggled to live up to his price tagCucurella has made 16 league appearances for the Blues - as many as any player in the squad. Chelsea's defence has undergone something of a shake-up with several new faces coming in to replace summer departures. Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso left while the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana arrived at the Blues.
Chris Sutton has also laid into the Spanish defender, telling the BBC : "[Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang looked like he didn’t want to be here this evening. He’s not the only one. Cucurella, they’ve spent an absolute fortune on him and he looks well, well short for a Chelsea team that want to win trophies."
Chelsea's loss leaves them meandering in 10th place with Manchester United 10 points ahead of them in fourth. They face City again this weekend, this time in the FA Cup.