Alvaro Morata scored Chelsea’s first goal and assisted on the second. His performance as a substitute under highly adverse circumstances should end all the talk about Fernando Torres and Diego Costa.
Alvaro Morata silenced his pre-season critics in the most effective way possible. A goal and an assist is a dream debut for any striker. While the circumstances were more nightmare than dream, the adversity magnified the quality and importance of his output.
Morata’s goal and assist came off of headers. Right there, Chelsea are in offensive territory they have not enjoyed since the peak days of Didier Drogba. Chelsea’s most consistent header threats in recent seasons have been defenders: Gary Cahill, John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Kurt Zouma. Over Diego Costa’s entire career, only about 15% of his goals and shots have come off his head.
Alvaro Morata is much more balanced between his aerial and ground game. Thirteen of his 52 league goals (25%) were headers. Morata can create opportunity from a high, in-swinging cross as well as a through-ball on the ground. Chelsea’s opponents will have a more difficult time defending Morata than they did Costa.
Morata’s goal also showed the long-missing ability to make a creative run to get in behind the defence. Chelsea’s wingers are all strong and creative on the ball, but do not make the purposeful runs – whether winding or darting – to latch onto the end of the final pass.
Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro make great solo runs with the ball and can play quick flicks and one-two’s. But rarely will any of them lose their markers over the course of a curving run to go in on goal with a single touch.
Andre Schurrle was the last Chelsea player who was truly adept at this. He scored one of Chelsea’s best build-up goals of recent years on just such a play, also against Burnley. Cesc Fabregas dinked the final ball over the top as Schurrle ran around in behind the Clarets’ defence.
Alvaro Morata’s header to David Luiz to set up the second goal showed an awareness, spontaneity and deftness Chelsea have also lacked. Morata deflected the ball into Luiz’s path, exhibiting a perfect command of space and touch. He also had the necessary instinct to keep the play moving. The standard centre-forward move would have been to bring the ball down, flick it towards a runner or hold up play while the attack develops.
Morata’s timing and control seamlessly connected Cesar Azpilicueta’s long-ball with the rushing Luiz. Particularly with Chelsea having so few midfielders available, a striker that can drop back and connect the play is invaluable.
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A chief concern when Chelsea failed to sign Romelu Lukaku was that the Blues would not have a target-man striker. Alvaro Morata showed that he knows where to be and when to be there, and then what to do with the ball as it comes to him. His goal came from a swinging cross and his assist came off a vertical pass. He played two very different balls in very different circumstances with the same result: a Chelsea goal.
Unfortunately, Morata will have to wait three games until he can link up with Cesc Fabregas. When Fabregas and Morata find their rhythm, and Fabregas explores the range of passes he can deliver to Morata, Chelsea could put on one of the best offensive shows in the Premier League.
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Until then, though, Alvaro Morata should not have to listen to any more comparisons to Fernando Torres or complaints that Chelsea should have kept Diego Costa. He showed on his debut that he deserves only positive comparisons to the former, and will quickly purge memories of the latter.