March 31 (Reuters) - Chelsea's youth-heavy recruitment ⁠strategy may have complicated their ability to compete for major trophies and ⁠the club must strike a better balance between development and experience, ‌left back Marc Cucurella has said.

Chelsea were dumped out of the Champions League following a thumping 8-2 aggregate defeat by Paris St Germain in the last 16 and have won only four of ​their last 12 matches across all competitions.

Their struggles ⁠have fuelled speculation over the future ⁠of midfielder Enzo Fernandez, despite the Argentine World Cup winner being under contract until ⁠2032.

"You ‌are fighting and training every day only to realise, at the very end, that when games matter, we are still a bit away ⁠from the top level," Cucurella told The Athletic in an ​interview published on Tuesday.

"I ‌understand this is part of the club's policy, and that they want ⁠to take ​this direction - signing young players and looking to the future.

"But, for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel ⁠discouraged."

The 27-year-old Spain international said Chelsea had a ​good core of players but needed more experience to challenge for major honours.