Spain laid down a marker to the rest of their rivals for the World Cup this summer, with Marc Cucurella playing a key role in a 3-1 victory over Peru.
Cucurella didn’t feature in Spain’s first friendly last week, which ended in an unconvincing draw against Iraq as the tournament closes in on getting underway.
The left-back will be one of the Chelsea players who looks certain to start for their country, alongside the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Reece James.
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Spain impress as Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella returns
Cucurella is worried about the potential of facing Caicedo and Ecuador, who impressed greatly in South American qualifying.
There was a sense of frustration amongst the Spanish media following their draw with Iraq, although they put that to bed with a second minute goal after naming close to their starting team for the second friendly.
Marca gave Cucurella two stars, which was the joint-highest rating given to any of their players, and their summary of the game was far more positive than a few days earlier.
They said: “Barely a hundred seconds had passed and Spain was already launching into one of their classic performances. No other team boasts such a troop of ball-handlers. Rodri, Pedri, and Fabián alone are enough to overwhelm anyone who dares to challenge them.”
“By the hour mark, only Llorente, Cucurella, and Ferran remained from the starting eleven. The game fell apart, which is to be expected when the team isn’t clicking.
“These were opportune minutes for players like Mikel Merino to rediscover their rhythm and form. Peru capitalized on a lapse in the center of the defense to narrow the gap with a goal from Vélez.”
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Cucurella’s Chelsea future takes a backseat
Cucurella will be solely focused on the World Cup right now, which puts Chelsea in a bit of a limbo when it comes to his future at the club.
It has been reported the left-back wants to leave the club this summer, with plenty of interest coming in from Spain’s top sides.
World Cup teammate Marc Pubill is trying to convince him to join Atletico, although there is still interest in keeping him in England too.
Manchester United have been linked with Cucurella, while the possibility of linking up with Enzo Maresca again at Manchester City cannot be ruled out.
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