ADULT CHAT LINE
MORATA PRAISE FOR THE BRIDGE BOSS... A GENERAL, A JOKER AND A PAL WHEN REQUIRED
ALVARO MORATA has revealed multi-tasking Maurizio Sarri is combining the jobs of general, joker and friend to lift Chelsea into the title race.
The Italian has taken the Blues on an 18match unbeaten run in a stunning start in English football.
And £60million striker Morata, who has scored six times this season, believes the 59-year-old former bank worker’s manmanagement skills have been crucial in calming a club in crisis last term.
“I was told he’s a coach who plays good football and who loves tactical work but who also has a good personal relationship with the players and that’s the case,” said the former Real Madrid star.
“Sarri knows to perfection the difference between the different times in the life of a squad. When you have to work, he’s the first to lead by example and is like a general. When it’s time to joke he can have you dying of laughter.
“That’s all reflected in the group, we’re getting on well together and we’re playing good football. The only reason we’re a little behind in the table is we’ve had some draws.
“But we haven’t been with Sarri for long though, we
haven’t lost yet and that’s good because the competition is very tough in the Premier League. And we’ll improve.”
Morata hails Sarri’s system as “perfect for me” because he plays in front of goal – and also likes the manager off the pitch.
“What surprised me most is to talk to him, there’s no need for something to have happened, that you’re injured or playing badly, or well,” he said.
“He’s always available and interested, he wants to know how you are, how your life is. Football issues, sure but also the political situation in your country.
“One of the first times I met him, he asked me what I thought of Basque independence. I had my mouth wide open – I didn’t expect that. We then talked about it passionately, and that’s something about him that’s not so obvious.”
He told Gazzetta dello Sport fatherhood had saved him during an injury-hit 12 months.
“It was a strange year that’s coming to a close. The worst of my life from a sporting point of view and the best on a family level,” said Morata, 26.
“Not going to the World Cup was the biggest disappointment of my life. My world collapsed around me. I entered into a really ugly period where I saw only darkness and only thanks to my family and my wife, I succeeded in coming through it.”
P W D Man City 12 10 2 Liverpool 12 9 3 Chelsea 12 8 4 Tottenham 12 9 0 Arsenal 12 7 3 Bournemouth 12 6 2 Watford 12 6 2 Man Utd 12 6 2 Everton 12 5 4 Leicester 12 5 2 Wolves 12 4 4 Brighton 12 4 2 West Ham 12 3 3 Newcastle 12 2 3 Burnley 12 2 3 Crystal Palace 12 2 2 Southampton 12 1 5 Cardiff 12 2 2 Huddersfield 12 1 4 Fulham 12 1 2
L 0 0 0 3 2 4 4 4 3 5 4 6 6 7 7 8 6 8 7 9
F A 36 5 23 5 27 8 20 1 26 1 21 1 17 1 20 2 19 1 17 1 12 1 13 1 14 1 9 1 12 2 8 1 8 2 11 2 6 2 11 3