Giuliano exposes Madrid’s left side

Marc Cucurella has received some of the harshest criticism of his short Real Madrid career after struggling in Sunday’s 2-1 derby defeat to Atlético Madrid.

The former Chelsea defender was repeatedly isolated on Madrid’s left flank, where Giuliano Simeone became increasingly influential. The Atlético winger helped win the penalty that broke the deadlock before providing the cross for Jonathan David’s decisive goal.

Dean Huijsen was sent off for bringing down Giuliano early in the second half, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to score from the spot. Nine minutes later, Giuliano escaped down the same side and supplied David for Atlético’s second. Antonio Rüdiger headed in a late consolation for José Mourinho’s team.

The sequence of events is detailed in Real Madrid’s official match report, although the club’s account focused heavily on refereeing decisions it believed had gone against the visitors.

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Spanish newspapers deliver a ruthless verdict

The derby was Cucurella’s eighth appearance for Madrid following his summer transfer from Chelsea, according to SPORTbible. The outlet reports that the deal was worth £47.3 million, with a further £4.3 million potentially due in add-ons. Neither club disclosed a fee when confirming the transfer.

Spanish newspapers were unforgiving after his performance at the Metropolitano. Mundo Deportivo described Cucurella as “unrecognisable”.

“The full-back was completely unrecognisable in the derby. Weak in defence and anonymous in attack,” the newspaper wrote.

AS offered an even more detailed assessment of Cucurella’s battle with Giuliano.

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“Giuliano was torture, enormous torture. Even for a Cucurella accustomed to these kinds of one-on-one duels. But this time he bent the knee,” AS wrote in its player ratings.

“He held out in the first half, but the punishment came in the second. He arrived a little late for the move that ended in the penalty, and Kang-In and Giuliano got the better of him for the 2-0 goal. It was not his day, and it was the worst day not to have it. That said, he was left alone in the face of danger.”

Criticism extends beyond one defender

That final observation provided important context. Cucurella undoubtedly had a difficult game, but Real Madrid’s organisation repeatedly left him facing two opponents without enough assistance from Vinícius Júnior or the midfield.

Managing Madrid awarded him a rating of six out of ten and noted that he led the match in tackles despite being overloaded on his side. The outlet argued that he “had far too much defending to do on his own.”

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The defeat left Real Madrid fourth with 15 points, six behind Barcelona after seven matches, as shown in the official La Liga table. Cucurella’s performance has placed him under pressure, but the derby also exposed wider structural problems Mourinho must solve after the international break.

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