‘Marc Cucurella is a wind-up merchant and deserved Chelsea red’ – Keith Hackett
Former Premier League official Keith Hackett believes that Marcu Cucurella deserved the red card he received after the latest Chelsea game.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former PGMOL chief, ex-FIFA, and Premier League referee believes that the 28-year-old is someone “quite happy to wind the opponents up,” which was on display this past Sunday (15 December).
The Spain international had a frantic game as he opened the scoring as the Blues went on to win 2-1, but he ended up receiving a second yellow card after the final whistle.
Cucurella had already been booked during the game but ended up involved in a post-match confrontation with Kevin Schade to receive his second.
The left-back will now be unavailable for Chelsea’s next Premier League fixture against Everton on Sunday (22 December).
Cucurella has been involved in 15 of Chelsea’s 16 Premier League matches so far this season, starting 13 times as Enzo Maresca has made him a crucial part of his team.
Chelsea will not be able to appeal Marc Cucurella’s red card
Hackett told Football Insider, “What we’ve got in Cucurella is someone who is quite happy to wind the opponents up, in my opinion.
“As a referee, you don’t pre-plan, but you do.
“When you’ve got players of that nature the referee has just got to manage that situation and hopefully get on the side of the player and stop him overreacting.
“The situation here is he’s on a yellow card and he’s done what he’s done, so that’s the first bit.
“He’s going to get suspended there’s no question about that, there’s no room for appeal [as] it’s a double yellow.”
In other news, Reece James sends three-word Chelsea message after latest development.
For more Chelsea news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.