The curious case of Alvaro Morata and the offside flag

With five goals from 16 Premier League appearances this season, it’s fair to say that Alvaro Morata has struggled for form in a season where Chelsea are aiming to return to the top four.

One thing the striker hasn’t been short of this campaign however, is offsides.

The Spaniard has been caught out an astonishing once every 45 minutes in the league this term and is averaging over 1.3 offsides per game according to whoscored.

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But why is Morata finding so much time behind enemy lines with only conceded free kicks to show for it?

The instant argument, is that Morata has been unlucky. A prime example of this came recently in Chelsea’s 0-0 home draw with Southampton. The striker tapped home from close range to find none other than his old friend raised on the touchline to keep the score deadlocked.

I'm convinced that Alvaro Morata was actually born offside.

— Mark Worrall (@gate17marco) November 24, 2018

Further to that, Morata has also based his style of play around running the lines and darting through the opposition defence to latch on to killer passes, so to change that might detriment things further.

It could also be said that a little more patience from Morata might yield better luck in front of goal, as he is also suffering from a bad/unsuccessful touch per 32 minutes. At just shy of three bad touches per game, it’s further limiting the Spaniard’s chances of composure when he gets a chance in front of goal.

As a player short on confidence and reportedly seeking a move away this winter, it’s not surprising to see some of these stats come to light, although the offside tally is still conspicuously high.

It would be easy to imagine the 29-year-old preferring to wait for easy passes from teammates or arriving from deep, to connect with wing play from the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro or Willian.

However, it’s a testament to the former Real Madrid striker to continue playing the way that suits him best. Despite the reduced goal tally, Morata is still managing a shot every 26 minutes in the Premier League, which is higher than even Hazard’s, who has managed double the goals, currently on 10 for the season.

Another encouraging sign is that overall in his career, Morata is averaging 0.7 offsides per game in major competitions, which spans just shy of eleven-thousand minutes. That reads much better than the stats that befall him so far in 2018/19.

"Alvaro Morata offside"

Copy and paste. Repeat.

— TweetChelseaUK (@TweetChelseaUK) November 24, 2018

He’s also scored in games in which he has fallen foul of the flag several time, with his brace against Crystal Palace in early November as evidence. The striker was offside as many as 4 times during 90 minutes but also managed the two goals and five shots in total.

Overall, whilst the mood is unquestionably low in the Morata camp at the moment – just see his goal celebrations against Nottingham Forest at the weekend – it’s fair to say that fortune could change at any moment for the struggling Spaniard.

For now though, we will leave you with some fans’ opinion on Morata’s tender relationship with offside flag…