Antonio Conte admits Alvaro Morata could be struggling for confidence at Chelsea
The Spanish striker hasn’t scored since the 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on 26 December
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Antonio Conte has admitted that Alvaro Morata may be struggling for confidence at the moment, but insisted “everyone at Chelsea trusts him” to get through this period.
The Spanish striker hasn’t scored since the 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on 26 December, and Conte said that the player’s attempts to acclimatise to his first full season as a first-choice forward could be getting to him.
“For the strikers, this situation can happen,” the Italian said. “For sure, for Alvaro, this is the first season that he’s been having a full season. Maybe, for him, this is the first time to face this type of problems.
But, he has to overcome this problem because this is a stupid problem. You have to work for the team and not lose confidence. The coach trusts him, the team-mates trust him, the clubs trust him, the fans trust him.
“I don’t see a problem, but this is the first time Morata has faced this situation. Before, if you stay on the bench, you don’t have this type of pressure. So now he has to learn to face this type of situation, move forward and go on. Everyone in Chelsea trusts him.”
Some of Morata’s frustration seems to be apparent in the fact he has picked up eight yellow cards, with his last two – in the FA Cup third-round replay win over Norwich City – leading to a red card that keeps him out of Chelsea’s trip to Brighton on Saturday.
“For sure, for the Norwich game, I think the player knows very well his mistake. There was frustration for the first yellow card, because the player didn’t deserve this yellow card. If the referee doesn’t want to give the penalty, in this situation it’s still not right to book him.
“But, at the same time, you must learn to control yourself. The second yellow card was for dissent. I agree with the player for the first yellow card, but I don’t agree with the player for the second yellow card. He has to check himself in future.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments