The Spaniard has thrived under the Italian coach, showcasing his versatility across the back line and stepping into attacking areas during build-up play.

And as we prepare to return to Lincoln Financial Field for our decisive group match of the Club World Cup against ES Tunis, Marc reflects positively on his most productive campaign to date.

‘It’s the first time I’ve played in a lot of different positions,’ Cucurella explained. ‘I feel very good and I think the staff and the players have given me a lot of confidence. I always try to learn, and I love to learn. If you get too comfortable, then you lose that feeling.

‘You want to be ambitious, and every game means you have to stay focused because you're playing in different positions. I feel very good, and it was a very good season for me personally. Hopefully it’s just the beginning.’

Marc credits his footballing education at Barcelona’s renowned academy, La Masia, as crucial to his current success under Maresca’s principles.

He continued: ‘The manager, Enzo, loves to play with the ball and possession, and I had a similar education during my time at La Masia. You need to understand the game, and at La Masia it was about attacking with the ball, having possession.

'Maybe the things I learned when I was young are the reason I feel very good in this role and shape.’

After scoring seven times in all competitions during the 24/25 campaign, Cucurella has enjoyed his most successful campaign in front of goal. And while finishing isn’t something he works on specifically in training, the full-back has focused on getting into dangerous positions.

‘I don’t work on finishing!’ he laughed. ‘It’s more about understanding the position, being in the right moment, and it’s true that this season I’ve scored a lot of goals.

‘When you score a few, you get the feeling that every time you’re in the box, you’ll score. It’s really good, and hopefully I can score more in the future.

'I think it’s more about being in the right place at the right time. Some of them are just about getting into the box, not thinking too much, or taking one touch. It’s about understanding the position and the base of the game.’

The 26-year-old now has his sights set firmly on securing our place in the knockout stages of the Club World Cup. After beating LAFC in our opener but falling short against Flamengo, Cucurella knows just how vital the next match will be.

‘For sure, it’s a very important game as if we win, we go through [to the knockout stage],’ he added.

‘We’ve watched ES Tunis’ games and they play good football. They’re a tough team with very good players, and we need to stay focused. We know all the teams in this tournament are some of the best in the world, so for sure it will be a tough game. But we need to do things well and fight for the three points.

‘It’s the first time I’ve played in this tournament, so it’s been good. It’s true we lost the last game, but we have another opportunity – and we need to take it. We want to get to the next round.’

Chelsea's game against ES Tunis kicks off at 2am UK time on Wednesday. You can watch that and every other game at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 live for free by signing up with DAZN here.