Chelsea’s Cucurella: I wouldn’t have made the decision to fire Maresca

Chelsea’s youth-heavy recruitment strategy could hamper ITS’ ability to compete for major trophies and the club needs to strike a better balance between development and experience, says left-back Marc Cucurella.

Chelsea were dumped out of the Champions League after a huge 8-2 defeat to Paris St Germain in the last 16 and have won just four of their last 12 games in all competitions. The fight has fueled speculation over the future of midfielder Enzo Fernandez, despite the Argentina World Cup winner being under contract until 2032.

READ | Fernandez unsure about Chelsea’s future after exiting the Champions League

“You fight and train every day to finally realize that when matches matter, we are still a little bit away from the top level,” Cucurella said. The Athletics in an interview published Tuesday.

“I understand that this is part of the club’s policy and that they want to go in this direction: attracting young players and looking to the future.

“But for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged.” btrs.

The 27-year-old Spain international said Chelsea have a good core of players but need more experience to challenge for major honours.

«Only signing young players could make achieving those goals difficult. Against PSG we lacked players who had experienced such situations,» he added. Cucurella also said the departure in January of head coach Enzo Maresca, who led the London team to the Club World Cup title last year, had had a major impact on the squad.

«These are decisions taken by the club. If you had asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make such a change, it is best to wait until the end of the season,» he said.

“You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to prepare and have a full pre-season.”

Published on March 31, 2026