Alvaro Morata Says He Could Not Have Been 'More Down' at Chelsea Last Season
November 6, 2018
Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata has said he could not have felt "more down" at times last season.
After a strong start to his debut campaign with the Blues, the Spain international suffered with injury issues and a subsequent loss of form. He was eventually replaced by Olivier Giroud in the Chelsea starting XI.
As of late, the former Real Madrid and Juventus man has been back among the goals, and he's opened up on how his mentality suffered at times in 2018-19, per Dominic Fifield of the Guardian:
"In football physical condition is very important, but the head is the most important thing. If you don't have the head, if the mentality is not good, then you are in trouble. I'm better.
"No one, only my wife, knows how big the last year was. Now it's OK. In the last month of last season I was down, down, down, down. I cannot be more down. When you touch the limit, the only thing you can do is to come back.
"It takes long because I had an injury, I was not fit when playing, but now I feel good. I had a period where everything … if it was raining, I was angry because it's raining; if I miss, it's because the pitch is too wet. It was only excuses. It is not good."
Morata's 2018-19 didn't get off to a flying start, although of late he's been able to establish himself as the first-choice striker in Maurizio Sarri's team.
Per the Fantasy Premier League Scout, in recent weeks he has been one of the most prolific players in the division, as he netted twice against Crystal Palace in Chelsea's 3-1 win on Sunday:
At times earlier in the campaign Morata appeared to be devoid of confidence in all aspects of his play.
He was profligate in the penalty area when chances fell for him, and he struggled to hold the ball up and link play in comparison to someone like Giroud, who can provide a much more reliable focal point.
However, since netting the winner in the UEFA Europa League clash with Vidi, something appears to have clicked for the striker, as he's netted five times in his last six games in all competitions for the Blues.
Speaking about the player following Sunday's game, Sarri said he thinks Morata is "a little bit fragile":
Per Sky Sports Statto, it's been a long time since Morata had an impact in a game like he did on Sunday:
It was reported by the Daily Mirror's Darren Lewis in the summer that Chelsea were open to selling Morata after just one season at the club.
While he's yet to completely prove doubters wrong, there are some small signs that he is beginning to find the levels that made him such a feared forward in his time at Juventus and Real Madrid.
Given he has scored in UEFA Champions League finals, semi-finals and a Coppa Italia final, Morata clearly has the right mentality for the big stage. Finding some consistency and confidence will be key if he's to push on again.