Alvaro Morata's Poor Form on Full Display as Juventus Lose to Sevilla

Knowing they needed just a single point to secure top spot in Group D, Juventus travelled to Sevilla hoping to gain the positive result that would allow them to do just that. Ultimately they fell short, losing 0-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium to a goal from their former striker Fernando Llorente.

Once again, injuries made the task more difficult for Massimiliano Allegri, with the squad list for the encounter, per the club’s official website, showing the coach was forced to do without Patrice Evra, Hernanes, Sami Khedira, Mario Mandzukic, Roberto Pereyra, Martin Caceres and Mario Lemina.

Yet despite those absences, the Bianconeri were arguably the better side, enjoying the better chances of the game but failing to convert them.

Indeed, according to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, possession in the game was split 50-50, but Juve made more passes (473-407) while taking more shots and getting more on target.

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Ultimately, though, that inability to put the ball in the net came back to haunt them when Llorente headed home Yevhen Konoplyanka’s 65th-minute corner. The Spanish striker was able to escape the attention of his marker Andrea Barzagli, but Alvaro Morata—positioned in the near post area—failed to intervene.

Llorente’s desire to win that header separated the two sides, but the performance of the man charged with preventing that was arguably the real difference. Morata—given his first start in a month—endured a poor evening, looking devoid of confidence and nothing like his clinical best.

The graphic in the tweet below highlights his struggles, showing he missed the target with three of his six shots, failed in two of his four take-on attempts and committed three fouls. While it is easy to note he completed 19 of his 22 passes and worked hard defensively, there is little doubt that he failed when it mattered.

In the fourth minute, Morata flashed a header wide from Claudio Marchisio’s cross, but if that was a difficult chance, he would miss a number of far easier ones. Just 20 minutes later, a ball into the box was headed back to him by Paulo Dybala, but somehow Morata managed to scuff it when it seemed far easier to hit the target.

The 23-year-old would burst into the box on a strong run, beating one defender before attempting to take on another; both occasions seemingly allowed him the chance to shoot only for him to decide not to.

Late in the game, Juan Cuadrado would give Morata one final chance, but his shot only struck Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico. It was a performance which vindicated Allegri’s decision to prefer Dybala and Mandzukic in recent weeks, with that duo hitting good form while the former Real Madrid man sat on the bench.

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Given his last goal came on October 4, Morata clear needs to break out of this slump, but Tuesday night’s match-winner has no doubt about the ability of his former team-mate.

Llorente told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia):

"

If Morata had scored then it certainly would’ve made everything more complicated for us.

He needs to stay calm, because he knows he has great quality and there mustn’t be too much pressure on him.

Morata just needs confidence and the chance to prove what he’s worth, I am sure of it.

"

The player needs to quickly rediscover his best if he is to become a protagonist for the Bianconeri in the coming months, and perhaps director general Beppe Marotta summed it up best as he spoke to Mediaset Premium before the meeting with Sevilla.

“It’s up to him to prove his quality,” the club official said (h/t Football Italia) and that is almost certainly true.

Juventus certainly need the real Morata.