Near the end of Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bride, an incident with Nico Wiliams led to Marc Cucurella getting a yellow card. The fifth yellow of the season for the Spaniard means that he will miss the big match after the international break against leaders Liverpool. Even though his performance against Forest was very uninspiring, he is still one of the most important for Maresca’s system. He has started every game for The Blues in the league and lining up without him will be challenging.
Although Marc Cucurella has started every game, it doesn’t mean that he is irreplicable. Chelsea have a big talent pool and finding a replacement won’t be difficult. The signing of Renato Veiga from Basel this summer will surely help solve the problem. With Cucurella out for the game, let’s look at what to expect from Maresca and his boys.
Marc Cucurella set to miss the trip to Anfield
The 26-year-old Spaniard against Forest was very average. He lost most of his duels and was a defensive liability for the team. Everyone knows how good he is in the inverting into the midfield role but this reasoning can’t justify his defensive inabilities. This season he is looking better than ever in a Chelsea shirt but is it good enough?
Cucurella is not 21, he is not going to transform into Marcelo overnight. He was extremely average for Chelsea last season and he did win the Euros with Spain but it wasn’t like they would’ve lost without him. Now here comes the sad part, after winning one Interntional trophy Marc Cucurella started singing songs about stopping Haaland. Thats fine, he has his ways, I get it but sometimes you should think before you say something. Haaland in the last three meetings against Cucurella has amassed four goal involvements, its pretty clear, that he doesn’t tremble.
After all this talk, he became a regular at Chelsea this season and was one of the more experienced players on the team. Amongst everything we expect from senior players, being available for big games is one of them. After an incident involving many players from both teams, he picked up a yellow card and is now scheduled to miss arguably the toughest fixture for any team in the league, away against Liverpool at Anfield.
The starting left back, who joins midfield in the buildup is unavailable for the encounter against the league leaders. This calls for Enzo Maresca to start Renato Veiga in the upcoming match. The Portuguese can play the role that Marc Cucurella has played till now. There are many combinations that Maresca can try but Viega looks like the kind of player he wants at left-back.
What to expect
Veiga was bought in for days like this, In the limited minutes this season, he has been great. His defensive numbers are better than Marc Cucurella, at six foot three inches he is better suited to stop attackers. His progressive passing is also better than Cucurella’s. It would be interesting to see if Marc holds on to the starting role by the end of the season.
Make no mistake, Chelsea were extremely average against Manchester City in the season opener. They have improved throughout the season but facing Liverpool away is their biggest test till now. Expecting Chelsea to win this game is asking too much. They should focus on ‘how’ they play. Try to stick to the plan and play the way the manager wants. Build on what they have started this season.
Chelsea are sitting fourth in the league, after the last two seasons they are looking like a top team this time. Enzo Maresca has started off nicely. With Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella out, it will be interesting to see what the Italian will do against Slot’s team. After a good start to the season, Chelsea have to play Liverpool, Newcastle, United, and Arsenal next. These games won’t necessarily decide their season, but they surely will help Enzo Maresca, and his players understand where they stand.
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