Mauricio Pochettino thinks Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez showed a lot of character in Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion last night.
It was not an easy game for the duo, with Marc Cucurella playing out of position and Brighton pressing Robert Sanchez, but Mauricio Pochettino feels they both coped well.
When it was put to him that Cucurella and Sanchez struggled before improving as the game went on, Pochettino told football.london and other outlets: “No, I think they showed character and personality. First half, we didn’t provide Robert and sometimes Marc with good angles. At half time I think we fixed and was much better.”
After knocking out their former side, Cucurella, Sanchez and the rest of the Chelsea team will take on Blackburn Rovers in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
The Blues must now concentrate on climbing the Premier League table after taking just five points from their first six games.
Perfect evening for Marc Cucurella
Given that Cucurella was playing at right-back, he did quite well in the end.
The 25-year-old needed a good performance, perhaps more so than Sanchez. Unlike his compatriot, Cucurella has seen little game time this season.
In fact, the Spanish defender is yet to play a match in the Premier League so far. However, perhaps he has now gone up in Pochettino’s estimation after his recent display.
And with injuries and Malo Gusto’s suspension hurting Chelsea in the full-back position at the minute, maybe Cucurella could start to get more minutes at Stamford Bridge.
If not, then the former Brighton and Getafe man will surely be heading to the exit door in January or next summer in a bid to get more game time.
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