Alvaro Morata has started his adventure with Milan and his arrival could be exactly what’s needed to close the gap with perennial rivals Inter.
The 31-year-old striker, who led the line for Spain in their victorious Euro 2024 campaign this summer, joined the Rossoneri last month from Atletico Madrid in a €13m deal, putting pen to paper on a four-year contract with an option for a fifth worth around €4.5m net per year plus add-ons.
Morata is a vitally important signing for Milan, adding a wealth of experience and professionalism to their frontline, following in the footsteps of his predecessors Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, two players who were prominent parts of the club’s recent success.
Morata might at Milan
The first important factor that Morata brings with him to the Milan dressing room is his strong people skills, leadership and strong mentality; he alluded to this in his presentation press conference, making clear his mindset upon arrival at the club.
“I can’t wait to join the group and remind everyone how much they are worth, every morning. I like to see others working, dreaming, happy.”
Morata was a beating heart in the Spain dressing room at the recent European Championship and he’ll be able to share that winning mentality and quality under pressure to his teammates, giving Fonseca a key boost with his squad.
The second element that bodes well for the Spaniard’s arrival at Milan is his history in Serie A. The 31-year-old has spent four years total across two spells with Juventus, scoring 59 goals and providing 39 assists across 185 matches.
His knowledge of the general style of play, customs on the training pitch and influence of the fans and press will allow him to immediately settle in the Lombardy capital, not needing time to adapt like some of his younger teammates.
Finally, the most important factor that Morata brings to Milan is his abilities on the pitch, being a woefully underrated striker who is unmatched in his skill to involve teammates in moves, take part in the build-up play and adapt to tactical switches on the fly.
In the 2023-24 season with Atletico Madrid, the Spanish striker scored 21 goals and provided five assists across 48 total appearances, seeing 2968 minutes of action, averaging a direct goal contribution every 114 minutes of play.
Across his 1904 minutes in La Liga last term, Morata stood out in a number of areas compared to his peers, including his ability to win aerial duels, his strong tackling and his decisiveness in front of goal.
The 31-year-old has a history of being mocked by some fans for his alleged bluntness when shooting, but this is a reductionist view that doesn’t take into account the number of shots he’s taking on average due to his smart off the ball movement and how his finishing has improved since his time with Chelsea.
Morata could be exactly what Milan need to close the gap to rivals Inter and he’s up for the challenge, admitting he wants to “bring the second Scudetto star, to help this club make even more history”.
@ Apollo Here’s
Good lord “difference maker”??
Perhaps a better way describe what you’re trying to say in the headline would be “why Morata could be the ‘key’ to Milan‘s Scudetto challenge’.