Maurizio Sarri opted to start centre-forward Alvaro Morata for Chelsea in the Carabao Cup win over Derby County and in truth he missed another opportunity.
The 26-year-old did very little in front of goal during a dramatic 3-2 win in the cup over Championship opposition, as Blues legend Frank Lampard returned in his role as Derby manager.
Morata missed a couple of good headed opportunities to score his fifth goal of the season, but it was another display that demonstrated he can struggle in attack by himself and isn’t suited to being a target man.
The Spaniard doesn’t have the same level of hold up play that teammate Olivier Giroud does and it’s these invisible displays that makes him a major villain with supporters.
Chelsea fans expect from Morata – who earns £140,000-a-week, according to spotrac.com – a clinical striker that should have cashed in against opponents like Derby at home.
But he’s never looked composed in front of goal during his spell with the Blues, despite the fact he’s managed to score two goals in his last three league games.
Morata continues to divide opinion in West London, so is he running out of time?
Sarri doesn’t have much choice but to rotate between him and Giroud in the next couple of months months, as Chelsea get through a hectic fixture list.
But there is no doubt that Morata is playing a dangerous game when it comes to his future and it’s hard to image him being the long-term first-choice striker unless he improves drastically.
The January transfer window will be open to the club in a couple of months time and a new striker may be high on the agenda of several fans.