Marc Cucurella has defended Vinícius Júnior over criticism of his defensive work, explaining what it is like to play behind the Brazilian compared with Yan Diomande on Real Madrid’s left flank.
The left-back made the comparison in a wide-ranging interview with COPE’s El Partidazo. Madrid went into the international break on an eight-game winning streak, with Diomande establishing himself in José Mourinho’s plans since joining from RB Leipzig in the summer.
Asked whether the Ivorian gives him more defensive support, Cucurella said, “I don’t think Diomande helps me more than Vinícius, but what he does gets noticed more.”
“Diomande tracks back once and you see the clip everywhere. Vinícius tracks back three times and then doesn’t do it the fourth time, and that’s the clip that goes around,” he added.
“Vinícius has been playing at an incredible level for five years. It’s only natural that he’s going through a difficult spell now. I can see that he wants to improve and is putting in the work in training, and that’s what matters.”
Asked how Madrid measure up against the rest of Europe, Cucurella said, “I think we’re the best team in Europe right now. We’ve had a really good run of games and the team is playing with real focus.”
When Paris Saint-Germain came up, he added, “They have some very good players and they’ve been building something for years, but I think Real Madrid are better right now.”
Cucurella, who joined Madrid from Chelsea in the summer, picked out Arda Güler as the teammate who has surprised him most. “When he’s on the pitch, we play better and move the ball around more. He’s the player who’s surprised me the most.”
