Marc Cucurella sends big warning to Chelsea teammates despite Enzo Maresca positive start

While Chelsea can be proud of how they have fared so far this season, Marc Cucurella has reminded his teammates of how long there is to go before the end of the campaign.

As we head into the final international break of 2024 - and the third of the season thus far - the Blues sit prettily in third-place in the Premier League table. Chelsea are also top of the UEFA Conference League standings after winning three successive matches in Europe.

Enzo Maresca has made quite the impression since being appointed head coach in the summer - and the Italian is rightly receiving plenty of plaudits. And with Chelsea doing so well on the two fronts they are currently fighting in, the excitement level at Stamford Bridge has certainly increased.

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Cucurella, however, has warned his teammates about getting ahead of themselves. As far as the Spain international, who is currently on duty with his country, is concerned, the season is barely even underway.

"We finish now in the top four before the international break, so I think we are starting to do things well," Cucurella explained to Chelsea's media team. "It's early and we still have a lot of games to play, but we need to be proud of the job we've been doing and keep working hard because the league is long and we want to stay at the top.

"We started a new project with a new manager and new ideas only a few months ago, so we need to be proud of the performance. We need to keep going at this level.

"If we play hard and train hard, I think we can do good things this season. We have top players and a top young squad with a lot of ambition.

"For sure it's early, so we have a lot of things to improve. Going into the international break third signifies that we are doing things well but we cannot relax. We need to keep working and be ambitious. We have the talent but we need to show on the pitch every week that we deserve to stay in the top four."

Cucurella has played the fifth-most minutes in the Chelsea squad this season. In all competitions, only Moises Caicedo (1087), Cole Palmer (1005), Robert Sanchez (990) and Levi Colwill (990) have been on the pitch for longer than the 26-year-old left-back's 920 minutes.

However, it has not always been Cucurella starting on the left-hand side of defence. Renato Veiga has been fighting with the Spaniard for his position, while Malo Gusto has also been used on the left for recent games against Liverpool and Manchester United.

"I'm very happy," Cucurella said when asked about being in and out of the team recently. "I try to help the team, put everything on the pitch and then see. This [vs Arsenal] was an important game for us, for our fans. We tried to do our best and we have a top team.

"We have a big squad with top players, so one day you need to play the game, and other times you need to rest and stay on the bench. I try to do my best as always and then the manager will decide.

"The most important thing is the team. We want to win and everyone wants to do his job, so we try to help the team. We would all prefer the three points to Man of the Match. It's part of the game. We just need to keep going and believe in ourselves."

Cucurella has enjoyed nothing short of a resurrection at Chelsea for the most part of 2024. After having surgery on his ankle in December 2023, the former Brighton defender missed over three months of action before being named on the bench in the 2-2 draw with Brentford in March 2024.

He was not used that day but Mauricio Pochettino brought him into the side for the win against Newcastle United in the next match, where he completed 90 minutes. Cucurella then finished the Premier League season by playing every single minute in all 11 matches.

Away at Aston Villa in late-April, Pochettino made some changes at half-time. The Blues were trailing 2-0 at the break, with Cucurella's own goal actually opening the scoring for the hosts at Villa Park, and Pochettino decided to use the Spaniard as an inverted full-back from the left-hand side.

That worked wonders for Chelsea, who then drew the match 2-2 thanks to goals from Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher. It was a position that seemed to suit Cucurella perfectly and that is where he finished the campaign.

Under Maresca, he has been used there but he has also been deployed in a more attacking role - essentially tucking in as one of the No.10s. From a complete outcast within the Chelsea setup, thanks to Cucurella's hard work on and off the pitch, the Spaniard is now one of the favourites amongst supporters.