Jackson and Merino react to Chelsea’s Cucurella after fresh disappointment
Chelsea ace Marc Cucurella has taken to social media to react to a major blow, prompting responses from the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Mikel Merino.
On the whole, it was a successful season for the left-back with the Blues, with the 26-year-old producing some impressive individual performances.
In the process, the club secured qualification for the Champions League next season, while Cucurella also helped Chelsea lift the Conference League title.
From an international perspective though, the season has now ended in underwhelming fashion for the left-back.
Marc Cucurella reacts as Spain beaten in Nations League final
On Sunday (8 June), the Chelsea star was named in the starting lineup for the reigning European champions as they took on Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final.
There would though be no further silverware for the left-back, as Portugal claimed victory over Spain on penalties, following a 2-2 draw after extra time.
Now Cucurella has been reflecting on that defeat, taking to Instagram to post a series of images from that game, he then added a caption that when translated, simply reads: “We will return”.
In response, Arsenal star Merino, who came off the bench for Spain during that game, showed his support by liking the post.
Cucurella’s Chelsea teammates Jackson and Renato Veiga – who featured for Portugal in the final – also did the same.
Chelsea ace set for another quick turnaround
Football Insider Verdict
After such a long season and following a disappointment such as this, you could understand it is the left-back was now ready for a bit of a break before pre-season.
However, he will not be getting much of that, with Cucurella and his Chelsea teammates now set to compete in the Club World Cup in America.
Enzo Maresca‘s side play their first game in that tournament next Monday (16 June), when they take on Los Angeles FC.
With the time that is needed for travel and acclimatisation, that means it is hard to imagine Cucurella will get much chance to rest and recover properly, after his recent exploits.
This is yet another reminder of the heavy demands that are being placed on players with the relentless nature of the schedule at the very top level.
It would therefore surely make sense for Maresca to take care by managing Cucurella’s minutes during the tournament, to protect his fitness and make sure he can be at his best come the start of next season.