Álvaro Morata is not a lost cause – he just requires the right environment to fulfil his potential
Every January transfer window seems to involve a merry-go-round of strikers. This time last year, Arsenal shifted Olivier Giroud to Chelsea, allowing the Blues to loan Michy Batshuayi to Borussia Dortmund, who sold Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal. It was a perfect triangle that benefited all three teams involved.
This January, Chelsea have found themselves on a similar merry-go-round, as Gonzalo Higuaín reunites with his former boss Maurizio Sarri, Krzysztof Piątek replaces Higuaín at AC Milan, and Álvaro Morata looks certain to join Atlético Madrid – bringing his Chelsea nightmare to a premature end.
Morata has endured a tough run at Stamford Bridge. When he should be at his peak, he has failed to justify his hefty price tag, performing inconsistently and losing his place in the team. Instead, Sarri has opted to play Eden Hazard out of position as a false nine, trying to emulate the success he enjoyed playing Dries Mertens in the same role at Napoli.
But Morata’s case is not a simple as an overrated player flopping in a league that was too challenging for him. At the start of his career, he couldn’t stop scoring… until he did. There is still a good player in there, and Atlético Madrid – and Diego Simeone – could be the perfect team to find him again.
Being a striker is all about confidence, and Morata is a sensitive character. The Spaniard has suffered highs and lows throughout his career, no more so than at Juventus.
Having won the Double in his first season, he went on a 100-day run without a goal in his second. In an interview with the Guardian’s Sid Lowe last year, he explained that people often forget that footballers are only human.
“People think we’re machines; they don’t realise that behind a bad run there’s almost always a personal problem, some family issue,” he said.
“You have feelings, you make mistakes, you’re a person.
“I was a bit lost. It wasn’t just the goals; I was arguing with people who are important to me, not bothering with things that truly matter.”
There is almost always a reason behind such dramatic downturns in form. During Morata’s time at Juve, it was a combination of factors, one of which being Real Madrid’s buy-back option, which left him distracted.
At Chelsea, a close friend died in a car crash just six months into his Premier League career. Processing an unexpected death is difficult for anyone to recover from, let alone someone carrying huge expectations to deliver for one of the biggest clubs in world football.
That may have been a huge contributing factor in Morata’s struggles to rediscover the form that saw him score six goals in his first six games for Chelsea. And now, it seems like a fresh start at Atlético is exactly what he – and they – need.
Once Morata completes his move to Atléti – the club where he played as a boy before moving across the city to Real Madrid – he will be replacing Diego Costa for the second time in his career. On this occasion though, the shoes he has to fill are significantly smaller.
Costa’s return to Atléti has not gone exactly as planned. He has struggled with fitness issues and only managed to score four goals this season, two of which came back in August. Morata’s task will largely be to facilitate Antoine Griezmann and bring more cohesion to the team’s play in the final third, which has recently been disjointed.
That suits his skillset perfectly. He’s fast for someone of his height, his movement is intelligent, and his link-up play underrated. And he will be playing for one of the best man managers in the business in Simeone.
On the surface, El Cholo’s main asset as a manager appears to be his passion, which permeates to his players. It has got them through tough periods on the pitch and fuelled their many successes in a country where football is traditionally dominated by two teams.
But beneath the surface, his management is a lot more nuanced. Tactically, he is one of the best in the game. Mentally, he is an expert motivator. Players will run through walls for him. Griezmann turned down a move to Barcelona to stay at Atléti, which he almost certainly wouldn’t have done had it not been for Simeone’s influence.
The Argentine coach’s fine balance between tough love and an arm round the shoulder could be exactly what Morata needs to get back on track.
This could be the striker’s last chance to convince the world that he belongs at the top level, and Atlético should be the perfect place for him to prove the doubters wrong.
