Without him, Silva and to an extent Fofana our current situation would be a whole lot worse.
Cucurella at Chelsea
- Thread starter SilentWitness
- Start date
Cucurella was excellent for us last season, playing in a completely different team with different (lesser) ambitions and a lot more patience.
His move has been an unmitigated disaster from a Chelsea point of view, and one of my club’s greatest ever transfer successes. Chelsea hugely overpaid, at a time when Boehly was going berserk with extravagant transfer fees. Brighton fans to a person knew this was a great bit of business.
The player forced a move, first saying it was his “dream” to play under Pep at Man City; when they didn’t pay the fee we wanted, he went on strike. Eventually Boehly paid through the nose and got his man, and Marc got his move.
This is a guy who had one very good season at a mid-table Premier League side and had signed a five year deal less than 10 months prior.
The beginning of the end for Cucurella came when Chelsea got thumped 4-1 at the Amex. Solly March had him on toast for an hour, and he was subbed off in tears. He looked broken emotionally and a shell of a man.
I think it’s extremely likely that he moves back to Spain in the summer for a cut fee. Potter hinted as personal problems while he was managing him at Chelsea, and he - frankly - doesn’t look like a PL standard footballer since his move.
His move has been an unmitigated disaster from a Chelsea point of view, and one of my club’s greatest ever transfer successes. Chelsea hugely overpaid, at a time when Boehly was going berserk with extravagant transfer fees. Brighton fans to a person knew this was a great bit of business.
The player forced a move, first saying it was his “dream” to play under Pep at Man City; when they didn’t pay the fee we wanted, he went on strike. Eventually Boehly paid through the nose and got his man, and Marc got his move.
This is a guy who had one very good season at a mid-table Premier League side and had signed a five year deal less than 10 months prior.
The beginning of the end for Cucurella came when Chelsea got thumped 4-1 at the Amex. Solly March had him on toast for an hour, and he was subbed off in tears. He looked broken emotionally and a shell of a man.
I think it’s extremely likely that he moves back to Spain in the summer for a cut fee. Potter hinted as personal problems while he was managing him at Chelsea, and he - frankly - doesn’t look like a PL standard footballer since his move.
Your current situation is absolutely shit.
I don't think he's been fantastic by any means. Saying he's been good it's stretching it a bit already.
He doesn't look shit if that counts by anything comparing his performances to other new players such as Cucurella, Koulibally and Mudryk for example.
He's got the second most line-breaking passes in the league since he joined. Most final 3rd entries. Completed 744 passes so far and only 81 have gone backwards. And all this for a completely dysfunctional team under multiple (idiot) managers.
Fantastic isn't an overstatement at all.
Out of him and AWB who was the worst bit of business? Granted both still have the chance to come good (though I'm more or less resigned to thinking AWB is a bust).
Cucurella. AWB is limited but serviceable; Cucurella barely looks like a professional footballer most of the time.
AWB is having a great season
Cucu was about £15m more ? A lot of our transfers have been a bit crazy. City were apparently offering about £30m total which sounds vaguely sane at least.
Yeah we all know he can pass but defence wise he hasnt been fantastic at all. In and out of the squad too.
AWB isn’t even a terrible player. Just not quite good enough for United. At his worst I don’t think he was ever as bad as Cucurella has been this season.
Not even comparable based on what Cucurella has done till now. People are just forgetting AWB was at least very good defensively for at least his first year and a half.
He's certainly improved, but the fact we're supposedly looking for a RB suggests that neither him nor Dalot are considered good enough for a starting place, and its likely one of them would be offloaded.
I don't think he's the £50million fullback we expected him to be, which is similar to the dilemma Chelsea have with Cucurella.
Again considering how dysfunctional the team is, absolutely zero complaints about Enzo's defending are warranted. And in and out of the squad? Since he joined he's played nearly every minute for us.
AWB hasn’t been as bad as Cucurella by any stretch.
Cucurella and it isn’t close. AWB still has serious utility in any team, is younger, and cost less. Cucurella is just bang average or worse in all facets and gets put on toast if he has to play in a back 4
Yeah no Enzo was a good buy but everyone already knew that (even if he was unbelievably expensive). His game reminds me of Kroos honestly, but with how shit that team is going forward he’s only going to shine so much.
Yeah agreed - and Kroos is a very good comparison.
I do see the parallels to be fair. You pounced on AWB after one good season at a mid table club and he cost a lot and then failed to live up to expectations. That’s where the parallels stop though. Cucurella has been an utter disaster whereas AWB has at least been a serviceable player.
He's also been past dribble an awful amount of times. I saw some stat some weeks ago about him being the most dribbled player in the league per 90'.
Anyway I do agree with you, he has the potential and being in a team so dysfunctional inevitably affect his performances. He'll be better once you get a proper manager.
Huh? He didn't play for half of it.
Yes you're right - that stat was going around. But honestly, if you watched us closely during that period it was when we were suicidally pushing players forward since we were always trailing and Enzo would basically have to cover the entire midfield by himself.
He definitely needs legs around him in midfield - but I'd still argue he's been excellent despite the impossibly dysfunctional context.
I would agree Enzo has looked very good. He's clearly been better than just okay. Probably Chelsea's only competent player since he has been there. Not easy coming into a new league and a failing side and to stand out but I would say he has with his passing range and willingness to take the ball. Chelsea are currently shite due to no cutting edge and a lack of belief but he isn't.
last time i watched chelsea under potter they seemed pretty decent. Just couldnt finish chances to save their lives. Under lampard theyve looked much worse all around. Not shocked.
Well they hired Lampard what did you expect? He's trash
They overpaid for everyone without buying a proper CF. I am still trying to work out whether FFP is just a fairy on a dashboard.
Doing a Boehly Is now my go to FM phrase.
Doing a Boehly Is now my go to FM phrase.
Sorry, I think I misread your post - Skimmed through the thread and thought you were debating about Cucurella who this thread is about. Twas Cucurella who I criticised. Enzo's has been looking fine.
Ah no worries mate! And in that case I completely agree with you haha
Of course. So ex Brighton players are doing well it seems
In the pre lockdown period of his first spell we looked good as i think his way of telling players to express themselves more meshed quite well with Sarri's structure still being in the players memory.
For all Potter's faults we were defending well and looking good in the first 2/3rds so i was hoping for something similar this time round but unfortuently he's skipped that part and gone straight to winter 2020.
He's played 23 games this season, he's played well in all of them, Dalot has dropped off massively
He's made 12 PL appearences, 3 from the bench. I don't think that's enough to say somebody has had a great season. We've not even finished the season and he's only played a portion of it. I think the statement that he's in good form would make more sense at this stage.
So you're not counting the other 11 games because they weren't league games? Weird. The league games he has played he's looked good. He's having a great season, rate him more than Dalot and think we should keep him.
It's not that I'm not counting them, but the league is the bread and butter. If you've played half the game time of your competition for the position, that isn't great for your season overall. If he wins the spot for every remaining game he can address that situation, but I just think your assessment is very preemptive when it was only around Christmas time we had no idea where he was.
It seems to be the case these days that any time someone hits form it's a great season, they're a great player or whatever. And the opposite when they play crap. Sometimes players are just in a good or bad run of games and we actually have to see how they measure up over sustained periods. To me being a great player or having a great season is about consistency over long periods. The whole season, or if you want to be a great player...season after season.
Anyway, this feels quite off topic. Cucurella needs to put a few months together and I'm sure he can save his season
Agreed, so we'll just agree to a disagree. But i dont think he's a great player, yet, i think he's having a great season. Starting tonight too and looking good.It's not that I'm not counting them, but the league is the bread and butter. If you've played half the game time of your competition for the position, that isn't great for your season overall. If he wins the spot for every remaining game he can address that situation, but I just think your assessment is very preemptive when it was only around Christmas time we had no idea where he was.
It seems to be the case these days that any time someone hits form it's a great season, they're a great player or whatever. And the opposite when they play crap. Sometimes players are just in a good or bad run of games and we actually have to see how they measure up over sustained periods. To me being a great player or having a great season is about consistency over long periods. The whole season, or if you want to be a great player...season after season.
Anyway, this feels quite off topic. Cucurella needs to put a few months together and I'm sure he can save his season
Does anyone mind with me naming my two now?
Agree, they looked incompetent in front of goal but they still created. Not seeing a better approach yet, but it is very early going.
Overall though, I don't think this lot of players are going to prove to be that exciting....at least not for the amount of money this team has been assembled with.
Remains to be seen. We've got lots of players who haven't looked anywhere near their level this season but I would guess that can very quickly change with a good manager in charge.
I would say Chilwell, James, Gusto, Fofana, Badiashile, Silva, Colwill, Enzo, Kante, Mudryk, Sterling, Nkunku is a very solid basis for next season to build the squad around and potentially Mount, Kovacic and Felix as well if some of them stay beyond the season. Still a few gaping holes to be filled, mainly a top striker and perhaps a new goalie as well, to have a competitive first XI and then it's just up to the manager to get the best out of them.
Welp, now he's managed to cost Chelsea both legs. fecking hell, what an absolute disaster of a signing