Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has not held back in his assessment of Marc Cucurella.
Marc Cucurella has improved at Chelsea this season after a difficult debut campaign.
However, John Obi Mikel, who has been speaking about the left-back on his podcast The Obi One Podcast, does not think he is Chelsea standard.
The Blues signed Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer in a £62m deal, as reported by The Guardian.
The 25-year-old was in and out of Chelsea’s side in the previous season, making 21 starts in the Premier League, and picked up a muscle injury towards the end of it. So things did not exactly go to plan for him last term.
John Obi Mikel shares honest assessment of Marc Cucurella
For Mikel, Cucurella is not good enough for Chelsea, especially when compared to some of the left-backs the club have had in the past.
On his podcast, the former midfielder said: “He is not Chelsea standard. I wouldn’t say that.
“When you look at the left-backs we have had, Ashley Cole, Cesar Azpilicueta, William Gallas, you are talking about these players who have stayed at the club for many years, played so many games, and the standard they have set for that position… for me, he’s not at Chelsea standard.”
MORE CHELSEA STORIES
Is Marc Cucurella Chelsea standard?
As of right now, Cucurella has not really proven it. This season, he has done a decent job for Mauricio Pochettino, playing at left-back and right-back.
However, as a full-back, you cannot really tell what Cucurella’s standout attribute is.
Since joining Chelsea, the former Brighton man has not really looked like a modern-day full-back. He has not particularly impressed going forward.
And defensively, he has not been great at times either, with Alejandro Garnacho giving him a torrid time in Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United last week.
As a squad player, Cucurella definitely has something to offer, especially now that he has shown that he can also play at right-back. But from what the defender has displayed overall at Stamford Bridge so far, he probably is not at the level to be starting every week.
Cucurella could be in for more game time, though, with Pochettino confirming that Reece James has picked up another hamstring injury.
0 Comments