Álvaro Morata has a reputation, and not necessarily a good one. The Spaniard has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, but there is a perception that he is too fragile to truly thrive as a proven goalscorer. This season, though, Morata has challenged that perception. He is finally coming good for Atlético Madrid.
By Graham Ruthven
This is Morata’s second spell at Atleti, so Diego Simeone clearly saw something he liked in the centre forward even when was struggling for consistency. But by scoring 19 goals in just 30 games in all competitions this season, Morata has shown a different side to his game. He needs just one more goal to equal his best-ever scoring season.
Contrary to the widely held belief about Morata, he has been ruthless in recent times. Indeed, the 31-year-old is outperforming his Expected Goals (xG) for Atlético Madrid in LaLiga this season, scoring 13 goals from an xG of 9.0. Morata isn’t missing the chances he earned a bad reputation for earlier in his career. Now, they’re going in.
“Álvaro Morata is on par with Erling Haaland,” said Simeone when asked to compare Atlético Madrid’s in-form frontman to other centre-forwards across European football. “In terms of goals and his numbers, he can certainly be compared to him.” This might have been a slight exaggeration, but Simeone’s remarks say a lot about how highly Morata is valued.
Morata’s partnership with Antoine Griezmann is currently one of the best around. Simeone has built around the pair and has fundamentally changed Atletico Madrid’s identity on the pitch as a result. The days of conservative, stodgy ‘Cholo-ball’ are gone and instead Atleti are now playing a more expansive, attack-minded game. Simeone has adapted to qualities of his players.
Griezmann is enjoying a career renaissance. While the Frenchman is deployed alongside Morata as one half of a front two with wing backs providing width and a strong midfield trio behind him, he has the freedom to drop deep and conduct possession play like he did magnificently for Les Blues at the 2022 World Cup. Simeone clearly watched Griezmann’s performances in Qatar.
With Griezmann doing the leg work, Morata has been able to focus on taking up good goalscoring positions. Having Griezmann alongside him has given the Spanish international clarity. He is purely concerned with offering an outlet in the final third and putting the ball in the back of the net. Other managers have misunderstood Morata, but Simeone is playing to his strengths.
In an alternative universe, Morata joined Inter last summer. The striker held talks with the Italian club about a transfer to San Siro, but ultimately decided to stay at Atleti due to his connection with Simeone. “Yes, it is true that they were close,” said Morata about Inter. “Luckily I had quite a few options, but when I spoke with the coach and Gustavo [Lopez], the best decision was to stay at Atlético.”
Atlético Madrid won’t win LaLiga this season given Real Madrid and Girona’s commanding lead at the top of the table, but this could still be a special campaign for Los Colchoneros. Indeed, they have a Champions League last 16 tie, against Inter, to look forward to and are widely seen as the favourites to win the Copa del Rey after the exit of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
With Euro 2024 approaching quickly, Morata could carry his impressive club form into the summer. Spain started slowly under Luis de la Fuente, but found their form towards the end of qualification when the Atlético Madrid man nailed down his position as the first-choice centre-forward. De la Fuente has build around Morata like Simeone has.
Now 31 years old, Morata is in the prime of his career and has finally found a situation that allows him to showcase the talent he has always had. Chelsea wasn’t right for him. Neither was Real Madrid. He impressed for Juventus, but still had his critics there. It even took him a while to prove himself at Atlético Madrid. Morata had to be defended by Simeone at times. Now, though, his goalscoring rate makes his argument for him.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every Atlético Madrid game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.