{"id":72370,"date":"2025-05-03T23:25:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T23:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/72370\/"},"modified":"2025-05-03T23:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T23:25:11","slug":"marc-cucurella-gives-honest-thoughts-on-chelsea-handing-liverpool-a-guard-of-honour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/72370\/","title":{"rendered":"Marc Cucurella gives honest thoughts on Chelsea handing Liverpool a Guard of Honour"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Marc Cucurella is determined to both stop Liverpool&#8217;s title party at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but also to get Chelsea back in amongst the Premier League title fight next term<\/p>\n<p>22:45, 03 May 2025Updated 22:45, 03 May 2025<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_GettyImages-2201974406.jpg\" alt=\"The Spaniard has been one of Chelsea's standout players this season\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>The Spaniard has been one of Chelsea&#8217;s standout players this season<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Marc Cucurella will join Chelsea\u2019s guard of honour for Liverpool on Sunday plotting to overthrow <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/arne-slot\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Arne Slot<\/a> \u2019s champions and plant a blue flag back at the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/premier-league\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Premier League<\/a> summit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">First stop on the Kop kings\u2019 party tour is Stamford Bridge, where Cucurella is planning to pull the plug on the Slot machine. According to data collected by scientists, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/liverpool-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Liverpool<\/a> fans celebrating the club&#8217;s record-equalling 20th title at Anfield caused a series of tremors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Alexis Mac Allister\u2019s strike in last Sunday\u2019s 5-1 rout of <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/tottenham-hotspur-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Tottenham<\/a> registered a peak magnitude of 1.74 on the Richter scale &#8211; but Cucurella says <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/chelsea-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Chelsea<\/a> are planning to administer an aftershock. The Spanish left-back, a contender for Chelsea\u2019s player of the season, said: \u201cHopefully we can have this (honour) as well in the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Cucurella, 26, had a difficult first year at the Bridge after becoming a \u00a360 million component in the club\u2019s \u00a31.5billion trolley dash over three years, but he has won over the fans with six goals this term. He will be envious of Liverpool\u2019s ceremonial accolade but he admitted: \u201cIt&#8217;s clear, they won the league and they deserve it because they are there all the season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cIf we need to do it (a guard of honour), we do it. But once the game starts, we go for our objectives &#8211; we try to fight with everything and fight for the three points.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/arne-slot-names-major-title-35166021\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arne Slot names major title advantage Liverpool may already be given next season<\/a>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/jamie-vardy-leicester-southampton-referee-35165452\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Premier League fans all say the same thing about Jamie Vardy after referee incident<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cI don&#8217;t think I have ever done this before &#8211; this is the first time &#8211; but hopefully we can have this as well in the next few years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cIt&#8217;s what we are fighting for and what we are trying to do. It&#8217;s a process. I think it&#8217;s a good thing to have it, but it is even better if we do it and we win the game. Earlier in the season I remember at Anfield we played very good but they scored in the key moments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Cucurella\u2019s new-found popularity among Chelsea fans has even been manifested in a chant about his bountiful mop of hair and his alleged fondness for Spanish lager Estrella.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">He laughed: \u201cTo be fair, I don&#8217;t like Estrella, I don&#8217;t like beer, I don&#8217;t like wine. For me, as a Spanish person it\u2019s strange, but it&#8217;s the truth\u2026 I only like vodka.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_Screenshot-2025-02-25-at-083049.jpg\" alt=\"Marc Cucurella - not a fan of vodka it seems\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Marc Cucurella &#8211; not a fan of vodka it seems<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Following an anxious sideways glance from Chelsea\u2019s press attache, before the penny dropped that Cucurella was only joking, the clown prince of Cloud Cucu Land admitted: \u201cI feel very proud because when I joined here it was tough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cIt was my first season and I tried to work hard, not say anything, work in silence. It was not easy, but now I feel very good and I feel very proud. Chelsea is in my heart now and joining Chelsea is a top experience. When you are a kid, you dream to play in these kinds of clubs. Then when I came here, there were a lot of changes, a lot of things that were a bit tough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cBut I know my qualities, my family believe in me, so I try to work hard every day, show my qualities in training and then, when I have the opportunity, I try to do it in the games. Now my team-mates and the staff give me a lot of confidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cWhen I joined this club I wanted to fight for trophies, fight for big things and after a tough season I think this one was a bit more regular. We showed our level, we started to create something important and now it&#8217;s in our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_GettyImages-2209480188.jpg\" alt=\"LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 13: Marc Cucurella of Chelsea looks disappointed &amp; dejected with his shirt over his head at the full time whistle during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Ipswich Town FC at Stamford Bridge on April 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Crystal Pix\/MB Media\/Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>It&#8217;s not been an easy season for Chelsea, but European glory and a Champions League spot are still theirs for the taking(Image: Crystal Pix\/MB Media\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Chelsea have one foot in the Europa Conference League final after an emphatic 4-1 win in Sweden against Djurgarden in their semi-final first leg. And <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/nottingham-forest-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Nottingham Forest&#8217;s<\/a> shock home defeat by Brentford has handed back the initiative to Enzo Maresca\u2019s side in the scramble for a top-five finish.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Chelsea could yet be involved in a final-day shoot-out with Forest at the City Ground for <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/champions-league\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Champions League<\/a> swag next season and Cucurella added: \u201cWe are very ambitious on these things. Now it depends on us and we can show that we are ready and we deserve it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cWe train every day to prepare for playing these important games, reaching the finals and playing for a title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cI believe we start to build something important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/KpLVIG1AXsd0FvfduhjjzO\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Join our new WhatsApp community<\/a> and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don&#8217;t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you&#8217;re curious, you can read our <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reachplc.com\/site-services\/privacy-policy\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sky Sports&#8217; discounted Premier League and EFL package<\/p>\n<p>This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/affiliates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn more<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1745298978_502_0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a343<\/p>\n<p>\u00a335<\/p>\n<p>Sky<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=11005&amp;awinaffid=213635&amp;platform=dl&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fdeals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Get the deal here<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Sky has slashed the price of its <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=11005&amp;awinaffid=213635&amp;platform=dl&amp;ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fdeals\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Essential TV and Sky Sports<\/a><\/strong> bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves \u00a3192 and includes more than 1,000 live matches each season across the Premier League, EFL and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marc Cucurella is determined to both stop Liverpool&#8217;s title party at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but also to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72371,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1614,6274,1367,763,101,198,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-72370","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-champions-league","9":"tag-chelsea-fc","10":"tag-enzo-maresca","11":"tag-liverpool-fc","12":"tag-premier-league","13":"tag-sky-sports","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114446488332393289","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}