:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57530485/870563708.0.jpg)
Álvaro Morata broke out of his mini-slump on Sunday against Manchester United, scoring his seventh goal of the season — is good enough for second-most in the Premier League — to send Chelsea into the international break on a sorely needed winning note.
“It is very important for us because we needed these three points before the international break. We are very happy because we played well and we deserved this win. It’s a big win for the manager, for the club, the team and everyone who works for Chelsea. It was a great day for everybody and we are very happy.”
“I’m pleased I scored but the most important thing was that we won and got back to winning ways. We go into the international break with three points and this is very important for us.”
-Álvaro Morata; source: Chelsea FC
Interestingly, five of those seven goals have been assisted by César Azpilicueta, with four of them almost carbon copies of each other, including this latest wonderful header that left Morata’s international teammate David De Gea utterly helpless. Both Morata and De Gea have now joined up with the Spain squad (but not Azpilicueta because ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ...) to bring to a close FIFA’s 2017 calendar and start getting ready for World Cup 2018.
Next summer’s showcase event is one of Morata’s primary objectives and one of the biggest motivating forces behind deciding to leave Real Madrid this summer.
“I needed something that I was not going to have at Madrid – playing every Sunday regardless. [Real Madrid head coach Zinedine] Zidane said that I could stay but that there were a lot of options in attack. In the end I decided it was best to leave.
“It is a World Cup year and that only happens every four years. I'm 25 and I want to be at that World Cup.”
Beyond just ensuring playing time ahead of the World Cup, Morata has talked multiple times about how happy he was to be able to join Chelsea and work finally with Antonio Conte after their paths first crossed so very briefly in 2014 at Juventus.
Now that this reunion has finally been achieved, Morata has set his sights on the Premier League title, to add to his titles in Spain and Italy.
“I would never regret joining a club a club like Chelsea and hopefully I will be a long time at Chelsea. You should never have regrets in life, all the steps that I have taken in my career have served for something and I have learned from them.
"I won in Italy, I won at Real Madrid and I felt important. Now I have a challenge ahead of me to be a champion in Spain, Italy and England. One or very few Spaniards have achieved that and that is my goal. To win the Premier League and be the Spaniard that has won in three different countries."
-Álvaro Morata; source: Marca via Evening Standard
Sounds good!