Chelsea dismissed offer from Premier League behemoths for struggling defensive star. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has criticised Marc Cucurella for his lack of defensive nous against Real Madrid. The Spaniard has been advised to react quickly if he needs to go up against the best players in the world.
Chelsea fell to Real Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, suffering their third loss in the fourth game across all competitions. Their task in the second half is made all the more harder given Ben CHilwell’s sending-off on the night.
Kalidou Koulibaly, a former Napoli centre-back, was replaced by Cucurella after suffering an injury in the 55th minute on the night.
However, Cucurella’s vigilance disappointed Carragher as he allowed Rodrygo to make a run. His inaction forced Chilwell to bring the Brazilian down and resulted in the England international receiving a red card.
During a discussion with CBS Sports, (h/t Mirror), the former Liverpool defender was not impressed with Cucurella’s defending and said:
“Look at the body position here of Rodrygo compared to Cucurella. He is already on his way; Cucurella still hasn’t changed his body position to run back, and on the far side, Ben Chilwell, when one of your centre backs steps out, the wingback has to come in and fill that space.:
Carragher has made a good point: when Rodrygo began to run, Cucurella was negligent and allowed the Brazilian to elude him. By the time the former Brighton Hove & Albion player then started tracking the Brazilian, Chilwell was forced to aggressively bring him down.
These are fundamental concepts that any defender should be aware of. If the attacker is making a run behind him or sending a through ball to his teammates, the defender should examine both ways to block him or clear the ball.
The Spanish left-back man was supposed to mark him, but his slow response resulted in the England international receiving a red card. And Cucurella should make amends in returning leg for his mistake, as he could play as left-back in Chilwell’s absence.
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