Chelsea ended their 2023/24 campaign in a successful fashion as they secured a narrow 2-1 win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Blues finished sixth in the Premier League and will return to European football, after a year away, next term under head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Their focus may now turn to the upcoming summer transfer window and how they can improve the squad to go again and push on next term, possibly with the aim of a return to the Champions League or to compete for the title.
One player, based on his performance against Bournemouth, who must be kept as a regular starter again next season is left-back Marc Cucurella.
Marc Cucurella's performance vs Bournemouth in numbers
The Spanish defender put on a defensive masterclass against Antoine Semenyo and helped the Blues to pick up all three points with his excellent work at both ends of the pitch.
Cucurella, who completed 88% of his attempted passes and created one chance, earned a Sofascore rating of 7.3/10 thanks to his dominant play out of possession.
Sofascore rating
7.3
Ground duels won
10/13
Aerial battles won
1/1
Tackles
6
Interceptions
1
Dribbled past
1
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old star won a staggering 11 duels in total throughout the game – more than any other Chelsea player on the pitch – to dominate Bournemouth's players, as he only lost three of his 14 contests.
With this performance in mind, Pochettino must ensure that the former Brighton whiz is still a regular starter during the 2024/25 campaign, even if Ben Chilwell is fit and available for selection.
Why Marc Cucurella should be a regular starter
Chilwell missed 35 matches through illness or injury this season and that provided the Spanish full-back with an opportunity to stake a claim for his position in the team moving forward.
The England international was restricted to 13 appearances in the Premier League this term and did not do enough in those outings to suggest that he deserves to walk back into the team when fit next term.
Cucurella's performances in the top-flight were good enough for him to be considered the first-choice for Pochettino moving forward, based on his play in and out of possession.
Appearances
13
21
Sofascore rating
6.87
6.99
Duel success rate
53%
60%
Aerial duel success rate
44%
59%
Tackles per game
1.2
3.0
Interceptions per game
0.3
1.0
Pass accuracy
80%
87%
As you can see in the table above, the ex-Seagulls dynamo has been far more efficient in his use of the ball, with a 7% greater success rate at finding teammates with his passes.
The left-footed ace has also won a higher percentage of his duels, and his aerial contests, and this suggests that he offers more strength off the ball when competing with opposition players, as Chilwell was dominated in the air.
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Therefore, Pochettino must retain Cucurella as his number one option at left-back moving forward and the English lightweight should be a back-up until he can prove, on the pitch, that he deserves to start week-in-week-out.
