Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella has been heavily criticised by pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards for his role in Arsenal’s goal in yesterday’s big Premier League game at Stamford Bridge.
The Spaniard was a big-money signing from Brighton in the summer, having impressed a great deal during his time with the Seagulls, though he’s since made a slow start with the Blues.
Alan Shearer, speaking on Match of the Day 2 and quoted by the Metro, was thoroughly unimpressed with how Cucurella attempted to defend the corner from which Arsenal scored the winner.
Cucurella held onto Granit Xhaka but didn’t move at all, allowing Gabriel Magalhaes to find space and poke the ball home from close range and ultimately give the Gunners an important three points.
Discussing Cucurella’s role in the Arsenal goal, Shearer did not hold back, saying: “It’s embarrassing from a Chelsea point of view.
“So many players could have cleared it, whether it’s [Kai] Havertz or [Thiago] Silva. The keeper [Edouard Mendy] isn’t given a chance. It wasn’t even a great ball in.
“Look at Cucurella in there with Xhaka. He doesn’t move at all. He just holds Xhaka, there’s nothing at all from him!”
Fellow pundit Micah Richards also laid into Cucurella, saying: “All he has to do is move an inch to the left and he can clear it! I don’t understand what he was thinking there at all.”
Cucurella has not done enough since joining Chelsea this summer, and one imagines he would no longer be starting matches if not for the recent injury to Ben Chilwell.