Cucurella paying the price for taking on Vinicius’ defensive burden at Real Madrid

Marc Cucurella’s promise to cover for Vinicius Junior at Real Madrid has left the left-back carrying defensive responsibilities that are limiting his own attacking influence, while opponents continue to target the space behind him.

According to Catalan newspaper Sport, Cucurella effectively offered Vinicius a “blank cheque” soon after joining the club. He said: “I don’t mind if he does not come back to help defensively. I will do everything he does not want to do. As long as he is decisive and has enough energy to score goals, I will take responsibility for the hard work.”

What initially appeared to be a gesture of team spirit has proved more complicated on the pitch. There is a significant difference between compensating for a player who is given freedom to roam and being left to defend an entire flank, with all the tactical risks that creates.

Cucurella’s start at left-back has not been ideal, a position occupied by Carreras last season, when he encountered similar difficulties. The problem was particularly clear in the Madrid derby, where the distance between Cucurella and Huijsen again became a major defensive weakness for Real Madrid.

Real Betis had already exposed gaps on that side through the runs of Antony and Bellerin. Diego Simeone went further in preparing Atletico Madrid for the derby, building a plan around attacking Real Madrid’s left flank. Poppel, Marcos Llorente, Kang-in Lee and Giuliano occupied different levels of the pitch, forcing Cucurella into an impossible choice.

If he stepped forward to press the player in possession, another Atletico player would run into the space behind him. If he held his position, Atletico could advance through the centre.

Vinicius did not return to the pitch with the required intensity or concentration. His manager, Jose Mourinho, reprimanded him after he lost possession several times at the Metropolitano. Cucurella was repeatedly forced to choose between pressing the ball-carrier and tracking the player moving into the vacant space.

Federico Valverde and Tchouameni had to adjust their positions to provide cover, which left other areas exposed. Cucurella finished the derby with 14 defensive tackles, more than any other player.

That figure does not erase his mistakes, but it illustrates how often he was placed in difficult situations. A full-back is frequently blamed when the defensive structure breaks down, even though the original problem may have started several metres further forward.

Under Mourinho, Vinicius has increased his defensive interventions and ball recoveries in the opposition half. However, once opponents beat the first line of pressure, the difficulty becomes clear: the Brazilian works hard higher up the pitch but does not always track opponents surging forward.

The sacrifice has also obscured the qualities Real Madrid signed Cucurella to provide. He has yet to register a La Liga assist and is cautious when moving forward, aware that losing the ball could leave him with a long distance to cover on the way back.

Cucurella is at his best when allowed to move wide, cut inside and reach the final third, as he has done for Spain. Instead, he is being asked to perform a role similar to Ferland Mendy, without the same defensive protection once provided by Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema on Vinicius’ side.

He volunteered for the hard work so Vinicius could reach the penalty area at full strength. But while waiting for that decisive version of the Brazilian, Cucurella is sacrificing his own game and bearing the consequences of duties that are not always his to perform.