Why Alvaro Morata could shine brightly under Maurizio Sarri
Sarri will be aiming to turn this Chelsea squad into title contenders next season. The club were far from their best under Conte last season, which saw the Italian get sacked eventually.
The Italian has completed just one transfer for the club and the manager has few more days before the window shuts down.
The Blues have been impressive in the pre-season so far. Chelsea were victorious in their International Champions Cup clash against Inter Milan, which saw the English team win 5-4 on penalties. Sarri was full of praise for a number of players, especially Alvaro Morata.
The Spanish international was a subject of heavy criticism last season after he failed to deliver the goods on a regular basis. Failure to remain fit and often seen complaining on the pitch, Morata slid into the Blues’ bad books. The striker had been impressive for Real Madrid and Juventus before but his one season at Chelsea was quite bad.
He had earned himself a name at the time of moving to Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard was signed for a reported fee of £58million. That’s a lot of money for a striker who was barely consistent in front of goal.
Morata made a total of 31 appearances in the Premier League last season, scoring 11 goals and providing 6 assists. He also scored 2 goals in 5 FA Cup appearances which took his tally to 13 for the season.
The Spanish international started his career well, scoring off the bench on his debut. Morata then scored a hat-trick against Stoke City, immediately becoming a favourite. But the striker succumbed to a hamstring injury and never looked the same after his return.
Morata felt far too fragile and was easily shoved aside by opposition defenders. He also earned himself occasional yellow cards for excessive protesting.
But despite his criticism, one can’t label Morata as a flop. If not for the price tag, the player’s stats would have justified his performance. Scoring 11 goals in your first season in the Premier League is not the easiest of tasks. Morata certainly requires some time to fit into the league’s physicality and intensity.
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He has all the potential to go and become one of the most devastating forwards in the world. Morata has already shown glimpses of his talent. The striker is fast on the ball and good in the air. Under Sarri, he could explode onto the scene and take his game to the next level.