Chelsea have signed Marc Cucurella from Brighton in a deal worth £62m with add-ons.
The Spaniard is a versatile defender who can play as many as three different positions for the Blues. But here we’re going to take a look at the two best ways Thomas Tuchel could use him at Chelsea.
2 Ways Chelsea Would Line-Up With Marc Cucurella
Option 1: Left centre-back
Ben Chilwell is still expected to be the primary left wing-back or left-back in the team. Therefore, Cucurella will naturally fit in as the left-sided centre-back.
Since Chelsea now have two elite center-backs in Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly, it is likely that Tuchel continues to play his 3-at-the-back system which was very successful in the 2020/21 season.
As per Transfermarkt, Cucurella has played only 10 games as a center-back in his career but Tuchel’s system gets the best out of defenders, as we saw with Christensen and Rudiger.
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Option 2: Left back/left wing-back
Cucurella’s primary position was that of a left-back for Brighton. In Chelsea’s system, he will have more freedom to attack and make forward runs.
Cesar Azpilicueta signed a new two-year deal and reporter Nizaar Kinsella said that the captain is likely to operate as the right-sided centre-back. In this case, Koulibaly will move to his preferred left-sided centre-back role.
Cucurella has 10 assists across his career playing as the left-back and there is definitely potential in him for better attacking numbers, especially given Chelsea’s playing style.
