Enzo Maresca points to Marc Cucurella's Barcelona connections after Chelsea win
Until that point Maresca's side were heading into the final day of the Premier League season needing results elsewhere to go their way, after Aston Villa had briefly climbed above them by beating Tottenham in the earlier kick-off.
'Very nice, the assist from the right full-back, the goal from the left full-back,' said Maresca. 'It's the way I like to play.
CUCU'S WINNER! 🔥#CFC | #CHEMUN pic.twitter.com/cYbz6Qf7c0
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 16, 2025
'Marc has already scored similar goals against Brentford and Wolves. He was in the right position at the right moment.
'It's not about how big you are or how small or tall. He is an intelligent player and he is helping us with goals.'
Cucurella has been Chelsea's most improved player this season and looks transformed from the uncertain, error-prone defender that arrived from Brighton for £56million in 2022.
If his goal to defeat United contributes to Champions League qualification he will have gone a long way towards repaying that fee, and the faith shown in him by successive Chelsea managers.
A product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, he made only one senior appearance for the Catalan club in a Copa del Rey fixture before being sold to Getafe in 2020, moving to the Amex Stadium a year later.
A vintage Reece James performance, with an assist to match 🤤@Oracle pic.twitter.com/T8iI4zRcZX
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 16, 2025
'He has a background with Barcelona so he grew up in a club where the philosophy that I like is similar,' said Maresca.
'So the reason he is doing so good with us is because we know what he can do. The way we like to play is exactly the way that is good for him.
'It's not important how big you are, it's important to understand where you have to be, the position, the moment.'
Victory away to Nottingham Forest next Sunday will confirm Chelsea's return to the Champions League for the first time since 2023.
And 16th-place United could join them despite having lost six of their last eight and in the league and being winless since March 16.
Not the result we came for.
But your support never wavers 👏#MUFC || #CHEMUN pic.twitter.com/g6IiEd4yoD
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 16, 2025
Defeat here was their 18th in the league this season with the club already condemned to their lowest Premier League finish.
Boss Ruben Amorim's mind was predictably on next week's Europa League final against Spurs in Bilbao that will determine their European fate next season.
'Nothing is going to change this season,' he said. 'The best way is to prepare the final, try to win a trophy this season and prepare the next one.
'We know that we are in a season that we are struggling a lot, but we cannot do anything that is in the past. We need to look at the present and the present is to prepare the final.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
3 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Marcus Rashford makes Barcelona debut during friendly win in Japan
The 27-year-old, who has joined the Catalan club from Manchester United on a season-long loan, was introduced at half-time before being withdrawn after 78 minutes. Rashford had an effort saved during his first outing for Hansi Flick's side, who took the win courtesy of goals from Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji and academy star Pedro Fernandez. New guy looked sharp out there — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 27, 2025 Bardghji, another summer arrival from Copenhagen, put Barcelona back in front after Taisei Miyashiro had levelled for the hosts. Spain star Lamine Yamal, 18, was presented with Barcelona's famous number 10 shirt – previously worn by the likes of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi – before kick-off. Flick, quoted on Barcelona's website, explained why Rashford only played for 33 minutes, saying: 'He's a week behind the others. He hasn't been training as much with the ball, and we want to look after him.' Rashford, in a Barca video shown by Sky Sports News, said: 'Good performance, good to play in front of the fans, good (for) fitness. So I'm looking forward to the next games. Marcus Rashford reacts to making his first appearance for Barcelona in their pre-season win over Vissel Kobe in Japan 💪 {Credit: Barcelona} — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 27, 2025 'Pleased that we could win the game today but of course the most important thing is just settling in and, for the team, getting the patterns in and playing good football and I thought we did that in both halves. 'It's difficult in games like that where you change the team at half-time, but I thought we did well.' He added: 'The reason I'm here is to help the team try to win. So I'm going to listen to whatever information I need to listen to and try to put it into the game and help the team go forward. 'I can play over different positions. It's one of my strengths, to play across the front line. I'll play where the team needs me and try to score goals and create goals from those positions.'
BBC News
5 minutes ago
- BBC News
Al-Nassr agree £43.7m deal with Chelsea for Felix
Al-Nassr have agreed a deal worth up to £43.7m for Chelsea forward Joao 25-year-old has been given permission to travel to Riyadh for his medical to complete the will link up with fellow Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo at the Saudi Pro League side after they saw off interest from his former club recoup the £45m they paid Atletico Madrid for Felix last summer, having also sent the attacker out on loan to AC Milan for six months in January for a £5m loan Blues, who won the Club World Cup this month, have already sold goalkeepers Djordje Petrovic and Kepa Arrizabalaga and winger Noni Madueke to balance the books this have raised about £130m with further players like forward Raheem Sterling, left-back Ben Chilwell, midfielder Renato Veiga and striker Armando Broja currently up for have spent £212m on signings like striker Liam Delap, winger Jamie Gittens and forward Joao Pedro with interest in midfielder Xavi Simons and defender Jorrel Hato they are also under pressure from Uefa to come out of the summer with a "positive transfer balance" after being initially fined £27m with conditions placed on the club to comply with rules, or risk not being able to register new signings for the Champions League this season.
Telegraph
5 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Bitter legal threats and personal feud fuelled Nottingham Forest move to keep Morgan Gibbs-White
Morgan Gibbs-White will wear the red jersey of Nottingham Forest this season and, for the club's owner Evangelos Marinakis, this moment feels like a pointed statement to the powerful 'Big Six'. Marinakis is determined to establish Forest as a force in European football and his success in persuading Gibbs-White to reject the riches of Tottenham Hotspur is another clear sign of progress. 'At the end of the day, we always win,' were Marinakis's words after an interview on Saturday night confirmed that Gibbs-White has signed a new three-year contract. Tottenham are preparing for Champions League football under their new head coach Thomas Frank, who was convinced that a deal was inevitable after triggering the £60m release clause. Yet the full details of the stormy mini-saga, which included bitter legal threats and acrimony between the owners of the two clubs, can be revealed here. Spurs bungled release-clause activation After Tottenham made their move on July 10, the fall-out was spectacular. Forest were convinced that Tottenham breached certain levels of confidentiality, and there are even doubts that they matched the exact terms of the release clause. Such clauses can be very complex, and it is understood that Tottenham fell short of activating a number of conditions. Forest sent an intention of legal action to Spurs owner Daniel Levy, while an official complaint to the Premier League was also under consideration. Just over two weeks later, Gibbs-White committing his future to Forest was not in the script. Marinakis flew into Portugal on Thursday with one intention – to resolve the future of his star player. Negotiations advanced quickly and on Saturday night, shortly before a friendly against Fulham, the England international had agreed to stay. There is no release clause. There is no gentleman's agreement to leave next summer. Gibbs-White will be the best-paid player in Forest's history, and Marinakis views this as a major triumph. Marinakis took Levy approach personally Tottenham have missed out. The message was relayed to Frank on Saturday night that the deal was off. Marinakis was simply not ready to accept losing this particular battle with Levy. He felt the nature of Levy's approach was a slur on Forest, and what he is trying to build. Gibbs-White is relishing the start of the new season, and the team spirit which has defined their evolution under Nuno Espirito Santo cannot be discounted. The 25-year-old has behaved impeccably as the saga unfolded. There has been no strike action, mysterious injuries or threats of transfer requests. He has reported for training as normal and while many will argue that should be a prerequisite, other Premier League players caught in a similar situations have not always responded in that way. Gibbs-White's partner, Britney, is also dealing with a private issue which has proved a difficult time for both. Yet Gibbs-White still flew out to join the squad on Wednesday night at their training camp near Faro. He returned home shortly after the friendly against Fulham with his future all tied up. Statement deal restores faith in future plan Marinakis has also left the Algarve, his job very much done. The Greek businessman was in no mood to accept the sale of another star, at least without a fight. Anthony Elanga's departure to Newcastle for £55m earlier this month had triggered fears among some supporters over what the season ahead may hold. Gibbs-White's potential exit so soon after was a nightmarish scenario. When news of Spurs' bid surfaced – and after Telegraph Sport revealed there was a £60m release clause – fans even questioned Marinakis over why the fee was so low. Forest felt they had no option. After achieving promotion in 2022, the club agreed to the clause after tempting Gibbs-White away from Wolves for an initial £25m. There was also strong interest from Everton and Brentford, Frank's old club. Since arriving at the City Ground, he has played a major part in Forest stabilising themselves in the Premier League. He is now an England international under Thomas Tuchel, and any suspicions that the new manager was unhappy with Gibbs-White playing for a team outside the elite have been ruled out here. Forest are now working on a number of other signings, with Bologna winger Dan Ndoye a primary target. The Switzerland international is keen to join Forest, but a deal must now be agreed with his club. Manchester City's James McAtee remains a target despite Gibbs-White's decision to stay.
