The Importance of Marc Cucurella in Spain's Euro Squad

After moving to Chelsea, Marc Cucurella endured a difficult few seasons. However, in the tail-end of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, the Spaniard found his form after Mauricio Pochettino re-invented him as an inverted fullback.

The momentum Cucurella gathered propelled him to earn a national team call-up for the Euros, and he was named on the team sheet in the very first match against Croatia, where they won 3-0. Right before the match, Gary Neville surprisingly passed some dubious comments about Cucurella’s inclusion that raised many eyebrows. 

“Cucurella being at left-back probably is an example of why we think Spain won’t go all the way.  He's not been convincing at Chelsea, he's played a few games towards the end of the season. That price tag still astounds everybody still to this day.”

The confusing take on Cucurella was attested inaccurate, having performed commendably on the evening. Both from a defensive and offensive perspective, the Chelsea left-back proved to be a well-rounded asset for Spain this Euros.