"Don't take the p*ss" - Ex-Chelsea star delivers 'stay humble' message to Marc Cucurella after Erling Haaland incident
Former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit had a stern message for Spanish defender Marc Cucurella after the Blues fell to a 2-0 defeat against Erling Haaland's Manchester City. The Frenchman advised the 26-year-old to 'stay humble' and not take 'the p*ss out of the opponent' before games.
After Cucurella lifted the EURO 2024 title with Spain earlier in the summer, he brought out a chant aimed at Haaland during the victory celebrations. The song, translated from Spanish went:
"Cucu, Cucurella, he eats Paella. Cucu, Cucurella, he drinks Estrella. Haaland trembles because Cucurella is coming."
Poking the Norwegian forward backfired on the left-back in Chelsea's opening Premier League fixture against City. Haaland opened the scoring in the 18th minute, out-muscling Cucurella and leaving him in his tracks in the build-up.
Speaking to Android Poker Apps about the Spanish defender's antics, Petit said that the defeat should serve as an important lesson about insulting opponents before key fixtures. He said:
"Erling Haaland scoring against Marc Cucurella is probably karma. It reminds me of times before big games when I was playing and some players would say a lot in press conferences. In my teams, we always said never to talk big about a player before a game otherwise that could turn into a weapon against us. That talk could motivate the opposition's player to perform even better, like it did to Haaland."
"At the end of the day, people will say Cucurella got what he deserved and he'll learn from it but I found it funny. Next time, don't take the p*ss out of your opponent, shut your mouth, win the game and trophies and that's it, stay humble."
Chelsea eventually lost the game 2-0, with former Blues midfielder Mateo Kovacic adding the second goal in the 84th minute.
Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland responds to Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella's song about him
Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland claimed that Chelsea's Marc Cucurella is 'a funny man' after scoring in City's 2-0 win over the Blues. Speaking to compatriot Jan Aage Fjortoft after the game, the 24-year-old said (via Fabrizio Romano):
"Well, Cucurella is a funny man. Last season he asked for my shirt… and this summer he sings a song about me."
Things got heated between Cucurella and Haaland in the game, with a duel between the pair leaving the Spaniard on the floor. As the defender writhed in pain asking for help, the former Borussia Dortmund man just walked past him with a smirk on his face.
The Blues and the Cityzens will not face off against each other in the Premier League until January 25 next year. However, there is a possibility for them to be drawn against each other in either the FA Cup or the EFL Cup.