So far so good for Álvaro Morata, as he attempts to become the next great Chelsea striker, not just this season or next, but, as Antonio Conte prognosticated, for the next decade. Six goals in his first six Premier League games for Chelsea’s no.9 and involved directly in two more if we count his assists as well. That’s exactly the same as the man he’s replacing. Costa announced himself to the league with 8 goals in his first 6 games (and three yellow cards). We shouldn’t expect anyone to be able to maintain such stellar form, but thanks to Morata’s well-rounded game, he should be able to be more consistent than Costa ever was. At least that’s the hope.
“Now he is involved totally in our style of football and our idea and he is very strong. You can see that today [he took] a lot of good contact and tackles and I think he's showing that he's a really good, complete player.
"This league is not easy, above all for the strikers because during the game there is a lot of physical contact, and you must be prepared for this type of game because referees don't whistle a lot and that's good for the game. He adapted very well to this league but now he has to continue to work and improve because I think he has only just started his path."
-Antonio Conte; source: ESPN
Morata himself was undoubtedly pleased to score three goals — he hung on to that ball after the final whistle like it was the atomic football — and he was also pleased with the fans’ new chant for him, all part of a fine Saturday’s work.
“It’s football. Sometimes the ball doesn’t [go in], like against Arsenal, and today, we had two chances and made two goals. We sent a good message to all the Premier League. Chelsea is in the fight for the title and it’s the thing that we want.
“The most important thing is we won today. It’s a difficult place to come but we won and now we can look ahead to the Champions League.”
-Antonio Conte; source: Chelsea FC
As attentions turn to Atlético Madrid on Wednesday and then to Manchester City on the weekend, before another international break gives us a bit of a breather, the key is to keep building on this momentum.