When Marc Cucurella was included in Spain’s squad for Euro 2024, there were no shortage of doubts, and many in his home country were not even sure that he would be starting. Yet an injury to Jose Gaya meant a straight competition between the Chelsea left-back and Alejandro Grimaldo, another former La Masia graduate. The rest, as they say is history.
Chelsea went down against Liverpool at the weekend, the Cucurella suspension clearly not helping their cause, and the Euro 2024-winner would no doubt have been included were he available. Part of those doubts in Spain came through his lack of regular football, and also a calamitous cameo at the Santiago Bernabeu playing as a third central defender in the Champions League.
Yet Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was well aware of both what Cucurella could bring in terms of pace, grit, intensity and delivery, as well as the kind of character he was bringing in, having worked with him in the youth setup for La Roja. While it’s true that many raised eyebrows at the €60m fee at the time, when Chelsea snaffled him from Brighton and Hove Albion, it was not out of the question for him.
Roll back to last season, and Cucurella looked on track to become one of many problem children, on high wages, a long contract and with no hope of anyone paying either the player or club similar for a move. Now, with Cucurella still running off the confidence he acquired in the Euros, he once again looks like a potentially key piece at Stamford Bridge for years to come.
Managers do not get enough time to do their jobs, and the concept that it is easier to sack one coach rather than 25 footballers has never rung more true or louder, but Cucurella is a demonstration of exactly why clubs are always a little more open to the idea than other clubs. In the case of the Catalan, his value both on and off the pitch has swung dramatically depending on the coaches he has been working with.
Now a much-loved champion in Spain, Cucurella looked a shadow of himself 12 months before he planted a kiss on the European trophy. Six weeks with de la Fuente have turned his career around, and made Gary Neville’s analysis that he might be one of the reasons La Roja wouldn’t lift the cup look absurd. Neville did not make waves when he said it though. A fine illustration that system, circumstance, confidence and coach are much of the value we see on the pitch and off it.
