Chelsea captain Gary Cahill has revealed that he never questioned Alvaro Morata’s ability to fill the gap in the Blues squad left by the imposing Diego Costa.
Via the Evening Standard, Cahill has said that Morata was not fazed by the pressure facing him coming into a club the size of Chelsea as the team’s main striker:
I’m sure Alvaro wasn’t surprised by the pressure. He knew that it would be there when he joined and he came from a huge club anyway
Morata joined Chelsea from Spanish champions Real Madrid this summer, after scoring 23 goals in 40 appearances for Los Blancos in 2016-17. The Spaniard also spent two seasons at Juventus, making just under 100 appearances for the Serie A side.
Cahill continued:
Being a striker for Chelsea comes with a lot of pressure, but he has played with big players and big teams. He knows how to handle that and I don’t think it has been an issue at all
The Chelsea captain drew on his own experience of arriving at the club as a fresh face to exemplify how Morata has slotted in with such ease:
The easiest thing I found when I joined (in 2012) was that I knew a few people beforehand. It was early doors but I was in there with Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and JT
A few familiar faces helps and there are obviously a few Spaniards that Morata knows here. He is a fantastic guy, down to earth. His personality makes it very easy to get on with him
Other Spanish players in the Chelsea squad are Marcos Alonso, Cesar Azpilicueta, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro; Thibaut Courtois also spent three years in Spain on loan at Atletico Madrid, where he played against Morata.
Cahill talked up the striker’s ability after seven goals in as many games for club and country this season:
You can see from his performances that he is enjoying life at Chelsea. For us, it’s about having his back and making sure we provide for him. The lads up front did that at Stoke. He finished all his chances off and his confidence is flying
Chelsea’s next game comes on Wednesday night in the Champions League as they travel to the Wanda Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid.
