Pat Nevin absolutely loved the combination of Chelsea duo Marc Cucurella and Mason Mount during Sunday’s game against Tottenham.
Chelsea’s first home match of the Premier League season ended with a 2-2 draw against Spurs, with the visitors snatching a point late on through Harry Kane.
Despite the disappointment of conceding in stoppage time, the Blues should take immense positivity from the fact that they looked the much stronger side in the London derby.
The Chelsea faithful got to enjoy watching some new faces for the first time at Stamford Bridge. Summer signings Cucurella, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly all impressed after starting at home to Spurs.
Cucurella and Mount combination
Cucurella definitely looked the part in Chelsea colours after playing 90 minutes yesterday. The 24-year-old was full of energy and aggression in the left wing-back position, plus his corner assisted the opening goal from Koulibaly.
In particular, Nevin noticed “spectacular” defender Cucurella linking up effectively with new teammate Mount.
Mount picked up some really intelligent pockets of space just in front of the defence, particularly on the left, and was a massive positive throughout the game.
For certain, the 23-year-old combined really well with Cucurella in some passages. That relationship should only grow and improve the more they play with each other, too.
“Cucurella, I won’t be surprised if he’s our player of the year. He is a spectacular footballer,” Nevin said.
“Just like Reece [James] and Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] on one side, his working alongside Mason [Mount] was phenomenal today.”
Good luck, Ben
Chelsea’s left wing-back Ben Chilwell must be a little worried after seeing new arrival Cucurella shine in his position at the weekend.
Blues manager Thomas Tuchel previously admitted 25-year-old full-back Chilwell was not 100 per cent fit to start the Premier League opener against Everton. It sounds like he needs some time getting back to his very best after a long-term injury problem.
It’s going to be very hard for Tuchel to leave Cucurella out if he’s on top of his game, so pressure will be on England international Chilwell to kick his game on another level when fully fit.
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