‘He is a very good footballer’: Pat Nevin defends much criticised 24-year-old Chelsea player now

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Pat Nevin has praised the quality of Marc Cucurella, who’s been much criticised during the start of his Chelsea career.

Cucurella, 24, moved to Stamford Bridge last summer in a £60million deal from Brighton and had a target on his back from day one.

The defender was under the spotlight due to his hefty price tag, but his form in the first half of the season was well below par.

Thankfully, Graham Potter appears to have found the perfect role for him in the past week to help ignite a U-turn.

He’s slotted into the left centre-back role in a back three, which is suiting him a lot more than the conventional left-back position.

Nevin has given a glowing verdict on Cucurella for the way he’s responded to criticism with some impressive performances recently.

He thinks the Chelsea fanbase will now get to see how good a footballer the Spaniard really is.

Writing for Chelsea’s official website, Nevin said on Cucurella: “You need a lot of things to be a good footballer, the technique and vision mentioned above being among the most important. You also must have a very strong character to get through difficult times. Marc has shown that he excels in this area. He is a very good footballer and hopefully Chelsea fans will get the opportunity to see that more often from here on in now that he has settled.”

Cucurella admitted last week that he’s not had the best debut season in Chelsea colours.

However, we feel he’s now looking much more like his old self with some positive and eye-catching displays in the last few games.

He’s looking very comfortable and assertive as the left-sided centre-half, which does allow him the chance to be aggressive in his defensive actions. There is no doubt the presence of Ben Chilwell at left wing-back is a big help for him as well.

In addition, Cucurella is a player who can help this Blues XI with his passing forward.

Perhaps he went into his shell a couple of months ago and was cautious on the ball, but he’s starting to show a lot more in general play.

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