Участник:Pochettino's 'RB Cucurella Experiment' Success
I don't know anything about people. Mark Cucurella is playing better than expected as a right fullback, not a left fullback, his main position.
Chelsea beat Fulham 2-0 in the seventh round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) at Kraven Cottage in London, England, at 4 a.m. on the 3rd. Chelsea are now ranked 11th in the league with two wins, two draws and three losses (eight points). It also achieved a reversal of mood by winning the league after four games.
Mauricio Pochettino sent Cucurella to the right fullback again this time. Cucurella is a left back from Barcelona. He grew up with Lee Seung-woo and Baek Seung-ho in Barcelona when he rented Eibar and Getafe. Cucurella, who moved to Getafe completely, became the top left-back in Spain's La Liga and entered the PL in 2021 when he came to Brighton.
His amazing performance in Brighton became a hot seller at once. Chelsea has spent a whopping 65.3 million euros (about 93 billion won) to recruit. The transfer fee was 18 million euros (about 26 billion won) when he moved to Brighton from Getafe just a year ago. Cucurella, whose ransom soared in a year, seemed to establish himself at Chelsea as a starting player, but he did not have the mobility and high contribution to offense and defense in Brighton. He was beaten by Ben Chilwell as he appeared to be colorless and odorless.
I gave way to Levi Colwill this season. There were also rumors that Pochettino was not in the plan, and Manchester United, which lost Luke Shaw to injury, coveted it in the summer. There were rumors of a loan, but Cucurella remained and Tottenham Hotspur's Sergio Reguilon went instead. The remaining Cucurella was more familiar with the bench than the starter. Coach Pochettino used Colwill and Chilwell first, and even after Chilwell was injured, he left the left side to Colwill.
Cucurella took the starting spot in an unexpected way. He played as a right-back, not a left back. Coach Pochettino experimentally used Cucurella on the right defense as Reece James suffered a long-term injury and Marlo Gusto was out due to accumulated warnings. Cucurella, who played right fullback in the Brighton and England Football League Cup (EFL Cup), received a pass point when he completely turned on Kaoru Mitoma.
Cucurella, who showed the best defense, received the highest rating by soccer statistics media 'Huscoed Dotcom'. Afterwards, Pochettino said in an interview, "I don't know if it was close to leaving Chelsea this summer. When the transfer market closed, I talked with him separately. After coming to Chelsea, he had a difficult time and seemed to need confidence and trust. He played right full-back against Brighton and showed good performance. He's doing really well and is happy with his performance and dedication. Cucurella deserves to play," he praised.
Cucurella, who also played at right fullback against Fulham, defended Willian and Antony Robinson's collaboration well. Cucurella played with six clearings, two tackles, a 91% pass success rate, two ground contention wins, one aerial ball contention victory, and one long pass success. Cucurella kept Chelsea scoreless and scored Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja goals to secure a 2-0 win.
England's "Football London" said, "Gusto can't play due to card disciplinary action, and James is in poor physical condition, so Cucurella is in charge of the right defense. "Cucurella showed solidity and played without problems," he said. England's Evening Standard also mentioned that "Cucurella played well in the right defense outside the main position." Cucurella, who is gaining trust in Pochettino by taking advantage of opportunities even in unfamiliar situations