#PLStories- Graham Potter raves about Marc Cucurella making an impact in Premier League #BHAFC

It wasn't quite a two-horse race in the man of the match stakes when Albion drew at Chelsea. There was a third runner to keep an eye on - runner being the operative word. Former Chelsea midfielder Andy Townsend gave the nod to Romelu Lukaku in the 1-1 draw as he offered co-commentary on Amazon Prime Video. Hearing that was not necessarily a surprise for those of us who were not watching the match on TV. After all, aren’t these choices often made a few minutes from the end of the game, not right on the final whistle? Presumably Townsend had made his selection when it seemed Lukaku had scored the only goal of the contest. When you realised he actually made the call after Albion had secured their well-deserved point, it became harder to justify him not going for their driving force Yves Bissouma. In theory of course, the fact Danny Welbeck headed in a cross should not really affect your judgment of 90-minute performances by Lukaku and Bissouma. But that is sort of how it works. However, there was another very strong contender. And he had chipped in a pinpoint cross for his second important intervention in front of one goal or the other in as many games. No one talks much about Marc Cucurella these days. Certainly not in the regular Zoom sessions us reporters have with Graham Potter before and after games. And that speaks highly of how he has settled into his new league and new club. There has not been a huge amount to ask. No dips, no dramas, no absences. He just keeps going. We might have seen him at his best on Wednesday as he returned to West London for the first time since an eye-catching debut at Brentford on September 11. Raiding down the left flank, of course. But also tucking around as part of a three in defence which allowed Tariq Lamptey to play as a wing-back when Albion had possession in what was a pretty daring set-up, showing massive but justified faith in Dan Burn and Joel Veltman. And then the precision in added time with a sort of scooped, wedged cross on to the head of Welbeck, who did the rest. So now really was the time as Potter appeared on our laptop screens from the depths of the old East Stand at Stamford Bridge. Your assessment of the progress and adaptation made by Marc Cucurella, please. Potter told The Argus: “He has been fantastic. I can’t speak highly enough of him. “As a character he has been top since he has come. “A breath of fresh air, great enthusiasm. Great desire to play football, to run, to run off the ball, to tackle, everything you want. Supporters must love him.” But has he progressed in any particular aspect? “It’s just adapting to the country, adapting to the league. “I think his first game was away at Brentford. “It was a bit of a ‘welcome to English football’ type thing. But he has adapted. “That’s why he came here. “He wanted to take that challenge, he has got the personality, he has got the quality.” It was indeed a welcome to England moment, although the old-fashioned whack he took after about five minutes was from his compatriot Sergi Canos. When Albion met Brentford again last week, Cucurella came up with that other key moment in front of goal as he somehow got back to head off the line. Potter said: “Playing in the team will help him. “The more he understands the team, the more we understand him, the better he will get.” One reason Cucurella is not talked about so much in our post-match media sessions might actually be his pace. It gets him back in position before he needs to pull off eye-catching tackles. There was one notable occasion at Chelsea when the home side burst away on a counter in the second half with Cucurella well forward. However he got back quickly and there was no need for anything spectacular. He just got back goalside of his man, slowed him down and made him play a pass inside. Not headline-grabbing or highlight reel stuff but effective defending. Can it take him into the national team? Such is the standing of the Premier League right now, any player performing well, week in and week out, must have a chance of international recognition for any country, surely? His one cap came came when the under-21s were promoted en bloc to fulfil a friendly fixture due to Covid concerns among the seniors ahead of Euro 2020, a decision which delayed Robert Sanchez's debut. "For now Cucu is the fourth or fifth option," said Jordi Gil, who covers Spain for Barcelona-based Diario Sport. "Ahead of him are Jordi Alba, Gaya and Marcos Alonso. "If any of those are injured, they will bring in Reguilon, so it's difficult. OUR BRIGHTON REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2021 "For now he has been called up once by Luis Enrique but without playing. "But we will see. In March there are friendlies against Albania and Iceland and he could look at a few players then. "That's the thing about Lucho (Enrique). With him, you never know!"