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Real Madrid left back Marc Cucurella has called on supporters to reserve judgment on the squad until later in the season, following an inconsistent start to José Mourinho's second spell at the Bernabéu.
Six victories from eight matches may not appear overly concerning, but the expectations at Madrid are extraordinarily high, and recent displays have simply failed to meet them. Los Blancos headed into the international break on the back of a 2–1 loss to city rivals Atlético Madrid, having only narrowly edged past struggling Elche in the match before that.
With Barcelona surging ahead early in the La Liga title race, the pressure on Madrid has intensified. While Cucurella acknowledges some of the criticism, he maintained that expectations need to be kept in check at this early point in the season.
"It's all a process," Cucurella emphasized. "With the national team, the foundations have been built over many years, with the [same] coach as well.
"At Madrid, we've just begun with a new manager and it's too early to draw conclusions. Some players had only a week of preseason before the campaign kicked off.
"The start of the season hasn't been what any of us wanted, but it's a process and we'll see where we stand come the end of the year."
Cucurella's Own Form Raises Real Madrid Questions
Madrid moved swiftly to strengthen Mourinho's roster this summer, pulling off a surprise deal to sign Cucurella from Chelsea for approximately $69 million (€60 million). The transfer was broadly welcomed at the time.
Calling Cucurella outright poor would be an overstatement, but he, much like Madrid as a whole, has not lived up to the lofty expectations. He continues to compete for playing time with Álvaro Carreras, the player he was brought in to replace this summer.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente recently suggested that Cucurella is among several players who perform "far superior" for the national side than for their clubs, though the left back was, once again, reluctant to draw any hasty conclusions.
"It hasn't even been 10 games yet," Cucurella pointed out. "There are areas to improve [with Madrid], no doubt. We essentially had no preseason, and on top of that, it's a new club for me.
"I need to adapt to my new teammates and give everything I have so that the player you see with the national team is the same player turning out for Real Madrid."
Following Saturday's clash with Czechia, Spain has one more international fixture against Croatia to get through on Tuesday before Cucurella returns to Madrid. A challenging home encounter against Villarreal on Oct. 10 will demand that the left back bring that same brilliant form he consistently delivers for his country.