Real Madrid defender Marc Cucurella has hit back at media criticism and statistical tracking claiming José Mourinho’s squad is “lazy” and covers the least distance in La Liga. The intense media scrutiny erupted after Real Madrid suffered two high-profile, frustrating defeats to Real Betis and a painful 2–1 derby loss to Atlético Madrid.
Speaking to Cadena SER while on international duty, the Spanish left-back expressed shock over metrics showing Los Blancos are at the bottom of the league’s physical output charts: “The truth is it surprised me, because if it was about having long spells of possession, I could maybe say no, but running… I think we run a lot. “If we had won every game, there would be no talk about us running too little.
They would say we run very little, but are very effective, or some other headline.” While defending his teammates’ work rate, Cucurella conceded that data doesn’t lie and must be used by the team under Mourinho to fix their current structural flaws and find better cohesion.
Mourinho, who personally brought Cucurella over from Chelsea in a blockbuster £52 million summer move, faces mounting tactical pressure as Madrid attempts to steady their La Liga and Champions League campaigns.