MORATA’S SMILES AHEAD
<M<IP B@:B# <M<IP >F8C# <M<IP >8D<# Costa’s gone but nice-guy Alvaro can liven up Blues
THIBAUT COURTOIS admits life at Chelsea will be far more dull without Diego Costa.
But the Blues goalkeeper reckons hat-trick hero Alvaro Morata is ready to fill the boots of his departing mate.
Courtois could be reunited with Costa on Wednesday when Chelsea face the striker’s new side Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, before squaring up to Manchester City on Saturday.
But with Costa unable to play until January after sealing a £67m return to his former club, Courtois says his replacement Morata is ready to take centre-stage back in Madrid.
The former Real Madrid man blew Stoke away with a classy hat-trick and Courtois believes the Spaniard is a worthy successor to the controversial Costa.
Courtois said: “Diego was an under-rated striker here in England. I think people paid too much attention to him being a little bully on the field rather than looking at his quality.
Warned
“He is one of the nicest, funniest guys I know. He is also a top striker as well, so I am happy that until New Year we will not have to face him.
“He was always a nice guy in the dressing room and I have known him for six years.
“But we have bought a new striker and he is doing well so we have to move on. As a friend I will miss Diego, and as a player, but Alvaro is doing his job so we are happy.
“A striker lives off goals and he has already scored a few important ones.”
Courtois is set for a warm welcome back at Atletico, where he spent three successful seasons on loan, but he has warned Morata to expect a fiercer reaction after playing for their biggest rivals.
The Belgian said: “He will get a different reception to me. Alvaro played a lot of games against Atletico. I think he scored but not against me. It will be a big game against his old rivals.”
Morata will begin Chelsea’s huge week in sparkling form after his Potteries treble took his tally for the season to seven in seven games for club and country.
The Spaniard opened the scoring after just 81 seconds when he raced on to Cesar Azpilicueta’s long ball and beat Jack Butland. Pedro then seized on Darren Fletcher’s heavy touch and rifled a shot past Butland to make it 2-0 on the half-hour.
Morata added Chelsea’s third with 13 minutes left after sprinting away from Fletcher before wrapping up his own treble five minutes later with a close-range finish from Azpilicueta’s chested pass.
Stoke began the game with just one available centre-back and ended it with none after Bruno Martins Indi limped off.
Midfielder Joe Allen said: “Injuries or suspensions will have an effect. It seems to be happening to all our centre-halves at the moment.
“Chelsea is not the ideal team to come up against when you have issues like that.”