Marc Cucurella produced a Man of the Match performance on Tuesday night (Picture: Getty Images)
Graham Potter was thrilled with the performance of Marc Cucurella in Chelsea’s win over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night, admitting that he has been shielding the defender during the club’s recent struggles.
The Blues were impressive as they booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over the Germans, thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz.
Cucurella was back in the starting XI, playing on the left of three central defenders, while Ben Chilwell was at left wing-back.
Since Chilwell’s return from injury, and with Chelsea struggling for results in the Premier League, Cucurella has not been a regular in the starting XI in recent weeks.
Potter says he has been trying to shield the Spaniard from criticism amid struggles for form, and with the team in general not picking up wins, but says Cucurella proved his worth at Stamford Bridge.
‘I think he got Man of the Match, didn’t he?’ Potter asked. ‘I’m delighted for him.
‘When you’re having a bad time like we have, you accept the criticism. Marc has dealt with it well.
‘We’ve tried to shield him a bit and pick the moment. With Benoit [Badiashile] not available, he gave us the left foot and balance in a back-three and thankfully he delivered a top performance.’
After a long run of poor results it is back-to-back wins for Potter and his men as they beat Leeds in the Premier League on Saturday.
Potter feels the tide is turning and has praised the team spirit in his squad during a difficult time.
‘It’s not just this evening,’ he said. ‘We’ve had a tough period. We had to respond against Leeds. We played a good game against Dortmund away but we lost. We had a poor first-half against Southampton and then it can quickly spiral into another unpleasant situation. We’ve had to stick together and the players have done that.;
MORE : Jude Bellingham slams ‘joke’ penalty decision as Dortmund crash out of Champions League at Chelsea
MORE : Graham Potter admits Chelsea enjoyed ‘a little bit of luck’ during Dortmund win
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‘Thankfully he delivered a top performance.’