“It just annoys me” - Jamie O’Hara stunned by how ‘terrible’ Chelsea star produced impressive performance in win against Tottenham
Pundit Jamie O'Hara was stunned by Chelsea star Marc Cucurella's performance in the Blues' 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday (May 2).
Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring in the 24th minute after which Nicolas Jackson doubled his team's lead following the interval (72'). The west Londoners also managed to keep a clean sheet despite allowing Spurs 19 shots throughout the match.
Speaking about the Spanish defender, O'Hara, who is a fan of the north London side, told talkSPORT (via The Chelsea Chronicle):
"We made Cucurella look like Roberto Carlos. It was doing my head in just watching him. It just annoys me. It actually was annoying me. He's been terrible all season, now he's playing like Guti in there. What's going on? Someone get hold of him."
On the night, the defender won all nine of his ground duels, successfully completed his only attempted dribble, and played one accurate long ball. He also made four interceptions and tackles each, while managing two clearances.
The former Brighton man has been under pressure for inconsistent performances since his reported £60 million move to Stamford Bridge in 2022. So far this season, he's made 22 appearances across competitions, bagging a goal and an assist.
Expect the full-back to start the Blues' upcoming league tie against West Ham United on Sunday (May 5). Currently, Chelsea are eighth in the league standings, 16 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Marc Cucurella confirms that Chelsea squad want Mauricio Pochettino to stay at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella confirmed that the rest of the Blues squad want Mauricio Pochettino to remain at Stamford Bridge, despite uncertainty over the manager's future.
The former Tottenham Hotspur manager took charge of the west Londoners only a year ago and could already be making his exit. However, claiming that the team's second half performance against Aston Villa was a sign that the players wanted the Argentine to stay, Cucurella said (via Standard):
"Yes, for sure. He spoke very well at half-time and all the people saw the team's reaction."
During that tie, Pochettino and Co. went two goals down in the first half. However, they came back strongly after the interval, as goals from Noni Madueke (62') and Conor Gallagher (81') helped the Blues clinch a point at Villa Park.