Zola piling on Mor pressure

GIANFRANCO ZOLA has told Alvaro Morata to deal with the pressure of being Chelsea’s No.9.

The Blues assistant coach admitted the Stamford Bridge club thought the £60m Spain striker was a perfect fit when he joined from Real Madrid in July 2017.

But he has scored only five Premier League goals this season – the last on November 4 – and has struggled badly.

Morata (right) will get the chance to end his five-game barren streak in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest today.

But when asked if he had sympathy for Morata, Blues legend Zola said: “No, it should be a motivational thing.

“People expect a lot from the No.9 of Chelsea, they expect a lot of goals and a lot of performances.

“This is normal and Alvaro has to get used to it. If he goes to another big club, it’s going to be the same. It’s part of your job and the better you can handle those situations, the better you will be. “I know he feels he doesn’t score enough and he has to come up with a solution that allows him to play at his standards.” Cesc Fabregas and Gary Cahill could both make their final Chelsea appearances today but Zola believes Callum Hudson-Odoi has a bright future – if he shows patience. The England youth star, 18, is a Bayern Munich target after refusing to sign a contract extension, while the Blues this week spent £57.6m on Borussia Dortmund wideman Christian Pulisic.

“He has to think long term,” said Zola.

“It’s very difficult when you are young. But if he keeps improving the way he has, he will play a lot.”