3 Areas for Juventus' Alvaro Morata to Improve on in 2015/16 Season

Juventus fans have been enthralled by Alvaro Morata over the last week.

The young Spaniard grabbed a clutch opener right before halftime of Juve's Champions League clash with Sevilla last Wednesday, then fired in a goal and an assist in a weekend win against Bologna that helped stabilize a ship which had been shaky.

Morata's performance since arriving last summer from Real Madrid has made a real impression. His strike against Sevilla equalled Alessandro Del Piero's record for goals scored in consecutive Champions League matches at five, and he's rapidly becoming the team's best pure striker since David Trezeguet was at his peak.

But there is worry too. Real made sure to include a buyback clause when they sold the 22-year-old, which can be activated in either of the next two summers.

To their credit, Juve have recognized the danger that clause poses to the team's future, and Calciomercato started reporting as early as May (h/t Football Italia) that they have approached Los Blancos about canceling the clause.

Morata's desires will likely factor heavily in whether or not he'll move. It's become quite clear he is very happy in Turin. In February, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) "I am truly in love with Juventus and want to spend much of my career in the Bianconeri jersey."

In April, he raved to Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia) about the team's locker-room atmosphere, marveling at how no player seemed above any other regardless of their status in the game.

Morata could very well make it clear to Madrid he would not be happy to move if they wanted him back—and bringing in an unmotivated player isn't ever a good idea.

As wonderful as he's been, it's hard to forget that Morata doesn't turn 23 until the end of this month and is certainly not a finished product. While his finishing can be astonishing, there is plenty that he can improve upon.

What areas can stand to see the most improvement? Let's delve a bit deeper into his game to find out.

Aerial Play

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The fact that Morata's last two goals have come from headers is a very promising sign.

Of the last 13 goals Morata scored across all competitions last season, only two of them came in the air. Those came against two teams—Atalanta and Cesena—that finished 17th and 19th, respectively, in the standings last year.

Aerial play has been a consistent weakness for Morata since he arrived, which is odd considering his 6'2" frame.

According to WhoScored.com, Morata only won 0.8 aerial duels in Serie A last year. That number rose to two in Champions League play, but it's not the kind of numbers you'd expect from a No. 9—especially one of his physical stature.

For Morata to become a truly complete forward, he needs to add an aerial game to his arsenal. The fact that he's already scored with his head as many times in six weeks as he did all of last season is a promising sign, as are the upticks in his aerial numbers this season, which have gone up to 1.2 wins per game in the league and an impressive four in the Champions League.

As the season progresses Morata needs to consolidate this improvement and make himself as much of a threat above the turf as he is on it. If he does, he'll take one more step towards becoming one of the most dangerous goalscorers in the game.

Passing

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Morata is a pretty good passer, but he could use a little refinement, especially in the final third.

Last year he certainly was guilty of being wasteful on occasion. WhoScored clocked him at only a 75 percent completion rate in Serie A last year, and that number dropped to 71.1 percent in Europe.

While that number has remained steady for the Champions League this year, he's completing over 80 percent of his passes in the league. Whether that's a symptom of Juve needing to make an overabundance of shorter passes in the attacking third while looking for an opening or because he's truly improved remains to be seen.

Of particular note is his distribution close to goal. While he did notch five assists last season, he made only 0.7 key passes per match.

It's worth pointing out a lot of that probably has to do with the fact defenses were collapsing on Carlos Tevez, leaving Morata to be the target of a pass more often than its creator.

That's going to change this year. Morata is Juve's only returning forward, and with his star on the rise, it's only going to be a matter of time before defenses start keying on him as the main man. When that happens, his ability to produce opportunities for the likes of Paulo Dybala will be a decisive factor.

Discipline

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Morata had the occasional mental meltdown last year. He was booked six times in the league and was sent off once.

The red probably shouldn't have been—Morata was attacked by Kostas Manolas at the end of Juve's 3-2 win over Roma last October, but was sent off anyway even though video replays showed he did little in the way of retaliation. It was the last act in the farce directed by referee Gianluca Rocchi that night.

The yellows, though, have been something of a problem. Six is a lot for a striker, and suspensions won't help Juve's current chemistry problems.

Added to this category is Morata's tendency to go to ground easily. Way too easily.

He dives. There it is.

Italian referees don't have the same protective instinct towards attackers as they do in places like Spain. Juve fans know what it's like to have attackers who flop—see Krasic, Milos—and the knock-on effect it can have when it comes to getting calls down the line.

If Morata improves his focus—and plays through light touches rather than trying to get fouls—he'll round out his skill set and truly take a place as one of the best strikers in the world.