Marc Cucurella has publicly criticized Chelsea’s approach to recruitment across the ranks, claiming Enzo Maresca should not have been sacked.
Marc Cucurella shares his thoughts on Chelsea’s situation (Image: Javier Borrego/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s policy of prioritizing youth over experience when recruiting players is putting their chances of winning major trophies in jeopardy, according to Marc Cucurella. The Blues are still reeling from an 8-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and Cucurella was surprisingly honest in expressing his concerns.
Manager Liam Rossenier’s honeymoon is over as Chelsea are sent back to earth with four straight defeats. They have won just four of their last 12 games in all competitions, have been kicked out of the Champions League and sit sixth in the Premier League.
Rosenior was scouted by Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg in January following the sacking of manager Enzo Maresca. He started well, but things have started to fall apart recently as the team’s lack of experience became clear after being dismantled by PSG.
Despite the score being tied at 2-2 at the Parc des Princes, the visitors lost the first leg 5-2 and then suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. Cucurella believes the blame does not lie with Rosenior, but with owner Bruco and their insistence on signing in the transfer market.
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“I understand that this is part of the club’s policy and we are trying to take a direction in which we sign young players and look to the future. But moments like this are discouraging for all of us who are still here and want big wins,” he told The Athletic during his spell with Spain.
“We have a core of good players. The fundamentals are there. But if we want to fight for big trophies like the Premier League and the Champions League, we need more. If we only sign young players, it may be difficult to achieve that goal. Against PSG, we lacked players who have been through such situations.”
“We also need time. We know that young players will gain experience in the future. But we need to find a balance between both worlds.”
Enzo Maresca was sacked in January (Image: Getty Images)
Cucurella described Rosenior as a “very nice guy” and “good with the group”, but felt Chelsea didn’t have enough time to put his ideas into practice on the training pitch. Crucially, the left-back said the hierarchy at the club pulled the trigger on Maresca too soon, and he remained in the hot seat for less than two years.
“The moment Maresca left, it affected us a lot,” Cucurella said. “These are decisions taken by the club. If you had asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make such changes, the best thing would be to wait until the end of the season. That would give all the players and the new manager time to prepare and have a full pre-season…
“That’s where the instability surrounding the club comes from in a nutshell. First we had an interim manager (former Under-21s coach Callum MacFarlane) and then we had a new manager who had new ideas but didn’t have time to work on them. That’s the way it is.”
Pressure on Liam Rosenior after PSG’s battering (Image: Shaun Brooks/Getty Images)
Cucurella drew comparisons with rivals Arsenal, who have stuck with Mikel Arteta for six-and-a-half years and are nine points adrift at the top of the Premier League despite their lack of silver medals.
The 27-year-old joined Chelsea from Brighton in August 2022 in a deal worth £63m. But, like Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandes, his future is in doubt heading into the summer transfer window.
Asked what he would do if Barcelona called him, he replied: “It would be difficult to say no. It’s not just about me. I would have to think about my family too. If it happens, then it will happen and we will see what decision is made.”
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