Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata Says He 'Had More Worries in My Head' at Chelsea

Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata has explained his recent good form is because he's no longer weighed down by concerns that used to affect him. 

The Spaniard joined Atleti in January after a difficult 18-month spell with Chelsea, and he's now performing well for club and country.

Per Marca's Miguel Angel Lara, Morata said:

"In the past I had more worries in my head. Now I am able to be more involved in the matches until the end.

"It is a very nice moment right now, but what counts is winning titles and be in the squad for the Euro 2020 at the end of the season."

Morata recently opened up on his time at Stamford Bridge, and football writer Simon Harrison observed his struggles with confidence:

The striker scored 24 goals in 72 appearances for the Premier League side.

During his time at Chelsea he appeared to have particular trouble with finishing one-on-one chances.

Morata arrived at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on an 18-month loan deal, and his form has picked up since.

After netting six goals in 17 appearances for Los Rojiblancos last season and scoring seven in 13 this time around, his move is likely to be made permanent next summer.

He's found the net in each of Atletico's last six matches in all competitions, including their two UEFA Champions League meetings with Bayer Leverkusen (U.S. only):

As football writer Lee Roden and The Spanish Football Podcast observed in Los Rojiblancos' 3-1 win over Espanyol last time out, he has been doing the heavy lifting in an under-performing team of late:

At Chelsea, that would likely not have been the case.

He also opened the scoring in Spain's 7-0 win over Malta on Friday, so he now has four goals in his last four matches for La Roja.

Morata turned 27 last month, so he should be entering the peak of his career over the coming years.

He may never return elite goalscoring numbers—he's contributed 20 in a season just once in his career—but he's shown he can be a much more decisive player after working on his confidence issues.