Chelsea were the definition of everything that’s been wrong with the club this season on Saturday. They lacked character, inspiration and strength.
Alvaro Morata left Real Madrid for Chelsea because he felt he was too good a player to sit on the bench. He felt he could be a difference maker at a big club in big competitions.
On this most recent showing, he can’t.
But luckily for Morata the story isn’t over yet and his narrative isn’t written… if he learns from this. He is a 6’2”, 82kg man with a wife and a baby on the way. He needs to play like it more often and drop the polite schoolboy act.
Morata rolled around on the ground with such proclivity against Leicester it appeared he was attempting to start an intimate relationship with the turf, such was the amount of time he spent in close physical embraces with it. He needs to stop this sort of thing. In England you are more likely to get a call from a referee if they see you fighting to maintain your feet as opposed to going over. After that, when you have been deemed honest, even more calls tend to go in your direction.
Morata’s ambition to join Chelsea from Real Madrid this summer was admirable and he has boat loads of talent. Every single coach he has ever played for has acknowledged this. Little wonder Zinedine Zidane, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri all like him as a player. But it’s one thing to be a talented teen or a promising 22-year old. Morata is 25 now, and though all those coaches loved his potential he is now entering the period of his career that will define in it iafter he has finished playing.
Morata is too good of a player from a technical perspective to let himself down with his mental play. At the moment he looks exactly like the sort of player he was at Real Madrid: a really great player to bring off the bench in a match that the stars have already won. A dressage on a win. He can and should be more than that.
Morata’s personal goal in the next match should be to win every shoulder to shoulder match-up. Brighton and Hove Albion’s central defenders are Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk. Morata should pick one to dominate and have a little bit of a tiff with. He should promise himself he will not spend any time on the turf. If someone should challenge him, his aim should be making that person seek the the referee’s favor. Morata should not look to the referee for protection even once – he should take care of himself.
Heck, even go out and get a booking for physical behavior but do not, not even once, hit the ground and look for help. It’s not coming. Be your own hero, Alvaro. It’s what you claimed you wanted.
Chelsea truly need to add players
Chelsea should add Alexis Sanchez. Because of that, they won’t. Even though he is priced properly and would help them challenge for the title next season regardless of whether or not Eden Hazard stays. They still won’t do it.
In the chase for a new left wing-back Chelsea should add either Ryan Sessegnon or Alex Sandro. If neither of those options comes through they should add Xerdan Shaqiri of Stoke. The Swiss international is one of the best players in the Premier League. With a high work-rate and good technical ability, Shaqiri could do an excellent job fulfilling a lot of Chelsea’s needs.
Shaqiri has all the boxes Chelsea need ticked at the moment. Stoke are probably going to be relegated and he has the right valuation for Chelsea. Chelsea’s spending tends to be in the £20-35 million range these days. Shaqiri would probably cost about £30 million. It would be an excellent move. The former Bayern Munich and Inter Milan player will be pining for the bright lights again, and Chelsea’s goal should be to benefit from that hunger.
Next: Rating Chelsea's loanees abroad at the half-way mark
The Blues need two or three players. Chelsea should honestly treat this window like a summer window. It is too important in helping determine the futures of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois for the club to underwhelm in their dealings.