Morata scores, clears his ghosts and downplays his annoyances: “I will be ready against Italy”

There is no player with more pressure on his back in the Spanish national team than Álvaro Morata (Madrid, 31 years old). He is always in question despite the fact that he has become the team’s fourth all-time scorer and has tied with Borja Mayoral at the top of the ranking of Spanish scorers in the League with 15 each, although with the Colchonero without scoring penalties.

Morata set off the alarm because he arrived at the Euro Cup with barely any goals since March, one with his team and the other in the last friendly before setting foot in Italy. «He has scored fifteen goals. He is a solvent scorer. You have to value it. He is the fourth scorer in the history of the team. Let no one forget. For us he is a total and absolute guarantee,” the coach reaffirmed last Tuesday before this newspaper. Many thought that the time had come for the realistic Oyarzabal, vindicated with his four goals in the last two friendlies.

De la Fuente has maintained his commitment to him. And the Atlético player has responded in the way that great forwards usually do, with a goal. The most important of all because he is the one who paved the way for La Roja’s victory against Croatia.

Fabián sent him a perfect inside pass. «I knew that if the wingers broke ‘Fabi’ I was going to see a lane through the middle for that pass. “That’s how it has been.” He appeared before Livakovic and beat him coldly. Very calm in front of the media, he wanted to vindicate the assistant. “Fabián is a very good player and then he scored a great goal.”

He could have scored another goal earlier, but he wasted the chance. “The field was a little dry and the boat didn’t catch me,” he lamented.

Morata always shows up to his appointment with the goal in the Euro Cups. He already has seven goals. Nobody in Spain has achieved so many. He is followed by Fernando Torres with five and Villa with four.

Its classification is different. Yesterday’s goal lifts him to third place in goals in the history of the competition. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (14) and Platini (9) surpass him. He already has the same ones as Griezmann and Alan Shearer.

Inconvenience

At the Black Forest rally Morata made it clear that there are issues that torment him. “My children don’t understand why there are many people who are very angry towards their father,” he protested hurt. Yesterday he dedicated the goal to his four descendants.

But he went further when he sent a hurt message to Atlético de Madrid. «I imagine that what appears in the press is what they have spoken (in reference to the leaders of the red-and-white club). I haven’t spoken to anyone. If I read that Atleti wants to sign eight forwards, I imagine it is because I am not the club’s priority. And he went further: “I’m 31 years old, in October I’ll be 32, I can’t stay at Atleti and not play.”

Morata was happy. Spain dazzled in its start in the toughest group and becomes the main candidate to finish first. «It is very noticeable when Spaniards who want to support us come and do so. Thank you to the fans on behalf of everyone because it was important to start like this. I have seen the team doing well and we have pressed a great team up front. “That’s what we have to do, go for the games from the beginning,” she demanded.

The bad news came in the second half, when shortly before the 70th minute he asked for a change due to discomfort. He felt a blow to his left knee. He threw himself on the ground, asked for a change and iced the area on the bench. «It was just a blow. What happens is that when you have a strong blow, other parts of your leg are loaded. It was getting on my nerves and the best thing was to go out and have another teammate come out,” he explained. He left the mixed area without a limp and with a smile on his face. “It was just a blow,” he insisted before getting on the bus.

Luckily for Spain, false alarm. The same happens with the other player who asked for the change, Rodri. «I had fatigue. He has worked a lot, he has run a lot and he has asked for the change in a very intelligent way. We want to dose all the players to reach the final stretch of this competition. “It is our goal and we want to do it in the best conditions,” the coach reassured. Both will be fit to play against Italy.

Morata arrived with several ghosts of worries plaguing him. He cleared them all in one fell swoop with that magnificent goal on the counterattack. And in the process he has increased his legend in the Euro Cup. De la Fuente is convinced that his firm commitment to him will pay off.