Morata: Sarri has Chelsea players ‘dying of laughter’

Joe Williams

Spain international Alvaro Morata has lifted the lid on life at Stamford Bridge under new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri.

The striker has been in better form recently with six goals in 10 starts in the Premier League and Europa League so far this season.

He struggled last season under Antonio Conte last campaign with 11 goals in 31 Premier League appearances – most of those coming in the first half of the season.

And Morata has revealed how much happier he is with Sarri at the helm this term.

“I was told that he’s a coach who plays very well with the ball and loves tactical work, but he also has a good personal relationship with the players,” Morata told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Sarri knows perfectly the difference between the various moments in the life of a squad: when you need to work he’s like a general and is the first to set the example 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 that we’ve had some draws.

“We haven’t been with Sarri for a long time though, we haven’t lost yet and that’s good because the competition is very tough in the Premier League. And we’ll improve.

“I was surprised that to talk to him you don’t need something to have happened, you’re injured or playing badly, or well.

“He’s always available and interested, he wants to know how you are, how your life is. Football issues, sure but also, I don’t know… the political situation in your country.

“One of the first times I met him, he asked me what I thought of Basque independence. I gasped, I didn’t expect that! We then talked about it passionately, and that’s something about him that’s not so obvious.

“His system is perfect for me, almost all the balls come to me when I’m in front of goal, and it’s much better than when I was playing with my back to goal and had to turn around – that’s not my game.

“One of the places I played best was Juventus, and there too I didn’t have to turn around, I just had to attack the space and run forward with the ball.

“That’s the same as now, and I’d have been able to score a few more goals if I’d been more precise.”