Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has admitted that the Blues must improve after their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League. The Spaniard acknowledged the team’s strong first-half display but emphasised their struggles in the second half, which ultimately cost Chelsea the match.

“I think we played well, especially in the first half. In the second half, we lost a bit of control. We need to be more clinical and finish the game when we have the chance,” Cucurella said.

Despite Chelsea’s promising start, the left-back was clear that playing well is not enough, as the team continues to struggle for consistency.

“It is true that we played well, but it’s not enough. We need to keep improving. We are not in a good part of the journey maybe, but we have another game in two days. We have two home games coming up, so we can’t afford to make more mistakes,” he added.

Cucurella also pointed out the need for both attacking efficiency and defensive solidity, stressing that Chelsea must capitalise on their chances while ensuring their opponents do not.

“In general, we don’t concede too many chances, but when we do, it’s difficult. But it’s part of the game, we need to improve things. I need to be better in this as well, I need to control the games more, be more clinical when we have the chances.”

The Spaniard also urged his teammates to use the pain of the defeat as motivation while acknowledging that injuries have affected the squad.

“We need to feel the pain maybe after this defeat, but we are missing players we had in the first part of the league. If we stay together now in this tough moment, we can come back on Tuesday when we have another game and we want to win.”