Graham Potter insists there is ‘nothing sinister’ between Mykhailo Mudryk and Marc Cucurella amid suggestions of a rift between the two Chelsea stars. In the aftermath of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at West Ham United, Mudryk ‘liked’ an Instagram post that depicted Cucurella blanking the Ukrainian star in favour of other Chelsea teammates.
The £88million signing showed signs of frustration during the match in east London. During the second-half, the Spaniard received the ball with Mudryk making a run down the left, darting in behind his marker into space. Instead of finding the winger, Cucurella instead turned inside and played a simple pass to Enzo Fernandez with the Ukraine international not impressed with the decision.
The incident and others similar were picked up by Chelsea fans but speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund, Potter explained it is simply a case of two new teammates getting used to each other. Asked if there is a disconnect between the two, Potter told a press conference:
‘There is no problem in terms of anything sinister at all. If anything, it’s just teammates understanding each other. It is quite a common problem, I would say, when to pass, at one point and at what time. ‘Playing against West Ham, they make it difficult for you to access the wideman’s feet and it is an understanding of when to play into space or how to make runs.
‘It is only his [Mudryk’s] third game with us, so there is no problem its more just an understanding challenge which is easy to understand when you recognise the context you are in.’
Cucurella endured another difficult afternoon at West Ham on Saturday, replaced in the second-half with the change greeted to by cheers from the travelling Chelsea support.
‘Supporters are entitled to their opinion of course, they just want the team to do well and as I said in the previous press conference I don’t think Marc is in his absolute best moment,’ Potter said.
‘But at the same time he’s been part of a team that’s kept a clean sheet at Anfield, a clean sheet against Fulham. ‘In the summer, I know because I was the selling club, there was another club that were interested in Marc.
‘From a points view in the Premier League they are a good club, so Marc hasn’t become a bad player at all but some players can go through bad times so we need to stick together and help him. ‘Supporters are entitled to their opinion there’s nothing for me to be critical of. That’s just what we have to work with.’
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