Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella admitted that he had difficult months at the club and his Blues teammates knew it and were really helpful.
Having joined Chelsea from Brighton in a deal reportedly worth in excess of £60million, it is no surprise that fans expect a lot from the 24-year-old.
Ben Chilwell’s injury situation meant Cucurella had no time to adapt and, in addition to that, being one of the more versatile defenders in the team, he had to play in a couple of different roles.
He struggled — it was very clear to see, and the fans were unhappy.
Graham Potter did not even hide that he had to “shield” Cucurella amid scrutiny with him being left out of three consecutive games in between the two legs against Dortmund.
It worked wonders.
Potter needed a left-footed balance in the team due to Benoit Badiashile’s absence, and Cucurella performed exceptionally well in arguably Chelsea’s biggest game so far this season.
The man of the match award proved that.
Cucurella has now expressed his gratitude to his teammates for their support during his tough period.
“For me, maybe it’s not been the best months here,” the Spain international admitted in an interview with Chelsea TV.
“I try to work hard, keep working, and on Tuesday, I had the opportunity to play and I put everything on the pitch for the team and my teammates.
“They know the last weeks were not easy for me, but I need to work to prepare when my moment or I have the opportunity to play and be ready.
“My teammates help a lot and I think this [the Dortmund game] is a good win for everyone.”
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