Sometimes big money transfers don’t work out all too well – and if you need any proof then just gaze upon the Chelsea tenure of Fernando Torres. Still, every player deserves a chance to shine and whilst we understand that the season hasn’t properly started, we’ve got a fairly good idea of where this journey is going to take Alvaro Morata.
The expectations on the shoulders of the Spaniard are extraordinary, especially considering the overall quality of Chelsea as a team. There’s no getting around the obvious, either, because we all know that good old Alvaro is nothing more than a second choice in the wake of the Blues’ failed pursuit of Romelu Lukaku.
That ‘theory’ has been all but confirmed by most people in the know, and it can’t be a nice feeling for the 24-year-old. After all Chelsea fans have been treated to a multitude of high-quality strikers in the last few years, with the likes of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa being the definition of a hard act to follow.
Asking the Blues faithful to accept this new striker as their own effective immediately is a tall order, and judging by his penalty miss in the Community Shield it already seems like an element of pressure may be getting to the former Juventus man.
The Italian and Spanish leagues, by nature, are nowhere near as physical as the Premier League. No matter whether you believe one of the three to be ‘better’, you can’t deny that.
As such thrusting Alvaro into this position is going to instantly put him in the firing line, because defenders will go out of their way up and down the country to bully him off the ball and try to send a very clear message. We aren’t suggesting that’s a fair thing to do, it just seems obvious at this point that it’s going to happen.
Antonio Conte has already added fuel to the fire by asking fans to “give Alvaro time” to settle into life in the Premier League, which will of course have the polar opposite effect. Any time you try and tell your fan base how to feel or react you just know it’s going to end badly, no matter whether you are the reigning champions or not.
Morata is automatically going to be compared to other top names across the division, and the problem with that is all the big stars are firmly established. Lukaku, Kane, Sanchez, Aguero and more all know what it’s like to succeed in this league and it’s awfully hard to make a good first impression and stick to it.
Many foreign players have been written off in the past, but only a handful were plying their trade at the very top of the league. There’s no room for Morata to fly under the radar because he is more exposed than he’s ever been, and at this stage of his career the youngster has a reputation to protect.
We more than admire him for taking the leap and giving it a go, which is more than can be said for some, but the odds are firmly stacked against him.
