An Alvaro Morata brace helped Juventus to a rather comfortable 3-1 victory over Sampdoria on Saturday evening and the Spaniard was praised by Massimiliano Allegri post-match.
Morata, who scored Juve’s second in the first half from the penalty spot, ended Samp’s faint hopes of staging a dramatic late comeback when he nodded in Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint cross to restore Juve’s two-goal advantage with just a couple of minutes remaining.
The forward’s brace means he is now the Bianconeri’s leading scorer in Serie A with eight goals, overtaking Paulo Dybala and his seven. After a difficult first half of the season, Morata has come into his own since the arrival of Dusan Vlahovic and his fine performance in the Serb’s absence on Saturday depicted the confidence Morata is currently playing with.
Massimiliano Allegri describes Alvaro Morata as one of Europe’s best technicians
Allegri - “Morata is one of the best in Europe at a technical level, he struggles with his back to the goal, but if he goes diagonally, with into space, he's better and brings his characteristics to the table. There are many of them.” pic.twitter.com/cUKR5vivk1
— JuveFC (@juvefcdotcom) March 12, 2022
Since Vlahovic’s integration into Allegri’s starting XI, Morata has taken up a different role. Rather than functioning as Juve’s focal point, the Spaniard has been gifted more freedom from an inside forward position on the left. From there, he can support the front man, make darting runs in behind, and drop into midfield to create an overload and offer a progressive option.
The last two weeks, we’ve seen Morata frequently – and effectively – void his advanced position to find space between the lines.
Against Sampdoria, Morata worked in harmony with Moise Kean to establish a healthy dynamic in the front line. The pair complemented each other well, as Kean enjoyed one of his most impressive outings of the season.
Allegri recognised Kean’s performance by saying he had a “good game” but he was particularly complimentary about Morata.
The Juventus boss said (via @JuveFC): “Morata is one of the best in Europe at a technical level. He struggles with his back to the goal, but if he goes diagonally, into space, he’s better and brings his characteristics to the table. There are many of them.”
Allegri hit the nail on the head with these comments. The primary reason for Morata’s woes in their first half of the season and why Juve eventually brought Vlahovic in January was because the manager was forced to deploy him in a role that didn’t suit him. As we noted, he’s benefitted greatly from Vlahovic’s arrival, emerging as a more dynamic Mario Mandzukic in Allegri’s current set-up.
The Spaniard’s resurgence leaves Juventus with a tricky decision regarding his future. His loan at the club expires in the summer and while Juve appear keen on signing the striker permanently, they remain hesitant on purchasing him outright for €35m.
Morata admitted that he was unsure about his Juventus future: “I don’t know if I will be at Juventus next season – it’s not up to me. I’m proud to be here,” he told DAZN Italy (via Fabrizio Romano).
A big decision awaits Juventus, but surely they opt to retain Morata for the long haul?