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Analysing Alvaro Morata’s impact on his Chelsea debut against Bayern Munich
It may only have been a brief 26 minute cameo, but that was enough for Chelsea’s £60 million arrival, Alvaro Morata, to make an impact. Having signed from Real Madrid only last week, the Spaniard has seen his pre-season schedule disrupted as he left the Madrid camp in Los Angeles to complete the transfer in London.
The 24-year-old showed no sign of rustiness as he replaced young Jeremie Boga in the 64th minute. He immediately showed his desire, working tirelessly to press the Bayern defence and push them to the limits in every aerial challenge.
What’s more, Morata showed a willingness to drop deep to help his team-mates and pick up the ball from deep.
Despite only having been training with the likes of N’Golo Kante for a matter of days, Morata appears to have struck up an instant connection. The duo worked well as Morata dropped to pick up the ball when Kante pressed Bayern’s midfielders back towards their own half, starting counter attacks on several occasions.
At one point, it even gave way to an eye catching run as the former Juventus forward shrugged off the attention of several defenders before laying the ball off to Victor Moses. His strength was clear for all to see as he held off their pressure and then kept the ball under complete control.
He did not just drop deep, though, as Morata also drifted out wide allowing for a free flowing formation with movement between the front three. That allowed Michy Batshuayi to take up a central role, with Victor Moses also drifting inside occasionally, as the Spaniard took up a variety of positions.
The most notable moment came when he did drift wide, winning a corner as he looked to take on the Bayern defence. From the resulting corner, his near post run led to him flicking the ball on to Michy Batshuayi to poke home at the far post.
Morata is yet to find the net, but he hasn’t even reached the half hour mark for his new club yet. Expectations are high for the striker, but he is already beginning to live up to them.