Skip to main content

Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has claimed that he is not under as much pressure to score as many goals as other forwards in the Premier League, while citing Liverpool's Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino among the division's best.

Morata arrived from Real Madrid in summer 2017 for £58m and has largely failed to live up to his lofty price tag so far. 

After beginning his Chelsea career brightly, the Spain international suffered a nose dive in form around Christmas and struggled in the latter half of the 2017/18 season. However, the 26-year-old's form has picked up in recent weeks, with three goals in his last two Premier League outings.

fbl-eng-pr-arsenal-liverpool-5be1be964d4362477900000a.jpg

Despite his recent strikes, Morata evidently doesn't feel like he needs to compete with the Premier League's top marksmen in the goalscoring charts, while naming Firmino and Mane among the very best around.

“At the end of the season, if we want to fight for the Premier League, I need to score many goals, Eden (Hazard) has to score many goals, the other strikers, WillianPedro, (Ross) Barkley,” Morata said when speaking to the Express.

“There is Hazard, there is (Sadio) Mane, (Roberto) Firmino, (Sergio) Aguero, (Harry) Kane. This is the league with the best strikers in the world. I don't need to think about scoring more goals than other players.”

However, while he is relaxed about his own scoring record, Morata insists his best form is on the way. 

He added: "I had a period where everything – if it is raining, I'm angry because it's raining. If I miss, it's because the pitch is too wet. It was only excuses. It is not good. Everyone can have a bad period in their life. 

“The important thing is to find the right balance. Now, I have, and I am very happy. I'm better. In the last month of last season, I was down, down, down, down. I cannot be more down. When you touch the limit, the only thing you can do is to come back.”

The striker is next likely to feature in the Blues' Europa League fixture against BATE Borisov on Thursday evening.