‘Not What We Wanted’—Marc Cucurella Pleads for Patience Over Mixed Real Madrid Start
Real Madrid left back Marc Cucurella has urged fans to judge the team later in the season after a mixed start to José Mourinho’s second tenure at the Bernabéu.
Six wins from eight games may not sound particularly problematic, but the standards at Madrid are so high that recent performances have simply not cut it. Los Blancos entered the international break after a 2–1 defeat to rivals Atlético Madrid, having only barely beaten strugglers Elche in the previous outing.
With Barcelona racing out into an early lead in the La Liga title race, scrutiny on Madrid has been high. While Cucurella accepts a level of criticism, he insisted expectations must be tempered at this early stage in the campaign.
“It’s all a process,” Cucurella stressed. “With the national team, the foundations have been laid over many years, with the [same] coach, too.
“At Madrid, we have just started with a new manager and it’s too soon to speak. Some players only had a week-long preseason before starting.
“The beginning of the season hasn’t been what we all hoped for, but it’s a process and we will see where we are at the end of the campaign.”
Cucurella’s Own Form Raises Real Madrid Questions
Madrid wasted little time bolstering Mourinho’s squad this summer, coming out of nowhere to strike a deal for Cucurella from Chelsea worth around $69 million (€60 million). The deal received widespread praise at the time.
To say Cucurella has been poor would be unfair, but he, like Madrid as a whole, has fallen short of expectations. He remains locked in a battle for minutes with Álvaro Carreras, who he was supposed to replace this summer.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente recently argued Cucurella is simply one of many players that is “far superior” for his country than his club, but the left back was, once again, keen to avoid jumping to conclusions.
“It’s not even been 10 games yet,” Cucurella stressed. “There are things to improve [with Madrid], of course. We basically had no preseason, while it’s a new club for me.
“I have to adapt to my new teammates and give my best so that the player you see with the national team is the same player with Real Madrid.”
After Saturday’s meeting with Czechia, Spain has one final international fixture against Croatia to navigate on Tuesday before Cucurella will return to Madrid. A tricky visit from Villarreal on Oct. 10 will require the left back to carry over some of that dazzling form he shows for his country.
