Cucurella: Chelsea Lacked Experienced Players Against PSG, I Personally Wouldn't Have Sacked Maresca

Chelsea's left-back Marc Cucurella gave an intriguing interview to "The Athletic." In it, he discussed the London club's project, former manager Enzo Maresca and current manager Liam Rossinier, as well as the class difference in their Champions League Round of 16 clash against PSG.

On International Breaks

“Coming to the national team is a breath of fresh air for everyone,” Cucurella told The Athletic in an exclusive interview conducted before Spain’s 3-0 victory over Serbia in Villarreal. “Sometimes I feel like the matches we have to play aren’t even the most important thing – you just want to spend time with these people. We’ve built such strong bonds that the week flies by before you even realize it.”

The 27-year-old finds it difficult to accept Chelsea's recent form – Liam Rossinier's team has won only four of their last 12 matches, losing six times. “Sometimes, if you’re in good form, the international break can slightly disrupt your momentum. But this one will do us good at club level,” Cucurella stated.

On the PSG Debacle

The thrashing by PSG – an 8-2 aggregate loss to Luis Enrique's reigning European champions – was particularly painful. “We lacked experience. For many players, it was their first match of such magnitude, and we paid the price,” Cucurella admitted.

“You can always make a mistake, but we should have handled it better. There was a second leg, and if you keep your cool, you return to London with a 3-2 loss (editor's note: the score five minutes before the end of regular time in the first leg) and anything can happen. We made a mistake, tried to attack without a clear structure, and then PSG capitalized and proved their class.”

“Results like that are always tough to take. You fight and train every day, only to realize in the end that when the matches truly matter, we are still a bit far from the top level. I understand that this is part of the club's policy and that they want to move in this direction – to attract young players and look to the future. But for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this are disheartening.”

“We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to compete for major trophies like the Premier League or the Champions League, you need more. Bringing in only young players can complicate achieving those goals. Against PSG, we lacked players who had been through similar situations. It also takes time, and I know that young players will gain experience in the future. But you need to find a balance between both worlds.”

On Rossinier and Maresca

“Liam Rossinier is a very good person and does a great job managing the group and individual personalities. He likes to be close to us, and his football ideas are good, but we don't have time to train them. We train in competitive matches because we play every three days, and that leaves no time for work on the training ground. In this context, it's normal for your plans sometimes not to work out, and then we go through difficult moments,” the Spanish left-back stated.

“Under Enzo Maresca, we were more stable because we had worked together for 18 months. If you look at our first pre-season with him (Chelsea won only once in six friendly matches, losing three), there were doubts. Every player needs a process to understand what we need to do. In our last months with Maresca, we played almost by instinct. If we changed the system, we knew what was required of us. That kind of time is necessary.”

“Look at Arsenal now, who are competing for every trophy. They've been with (Mikel) Arteta for almost seven years and haven't won much. But that faith in the project is yielding results. We knew what Maresca wanted from us. Winning a title like the Club World Cup also helps, it strengthens the bond, and you build great relationships during the celebrations. When a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you'd die for him,” he added.

“The moment Maresca left affected us deeply. These are decisions made by the club. If you ask me, I wouldn't have made such a decision. To make such a change, it's best to wait until the end of the season. That way, you give everyone – the players and the new manager – time to prepare, to have a full pre-season. In short, the instability at the club stems from this. It is what it is,” Cucurella concluded.

On Spain and the 2026 World Cup

The Spanish international doesn't hide that "La Furia" is one of the favorites for the World Cup title. “Yes, I think so. We've earned the right for people to believe in us. We were a bit underestimated at the last Euros. Now the team is full of hope for the World Cup. De la Fuente tells us to stay true to ourselves, to believe in our abilities, and to continue working on the foundations that made us European champions.”

He sees England as one of their toughest rivals and values the work of their new coach Thomas Tuchel, his first manager at Chelsea: “They’ve always had a great squad, and now Tuchel will give them a slightly better tactical structure. We saw the good work he did at PSG and Chelsea. England will be a team to watch closely.”

“There's a lot of talent at the World Cup. The players I don't like defending against? I'd say players like (England forward and Chelsea teammate) Cole Palmer, Michael Olise, or Ousmane Dembélé (both from France). These are some of the toughest attacking players I've faced. Jeremie Frimpong too. He's so fast!”

“Everyone talks with such admiration about what it means to be at a World Cup. I just can't wait to be a part of one,” Cucurella also said.