As Spain prepared for the European Championships, there was little doubt over their defensive solidity (provided Iker Casillas didn’t drop a few more clangers) or their sparkling array of talent in midfield.
But there was a major question mark further upfield, where the issue of who would score the team’s goals was looking seriously troublesome.
The leading scorer during the qualifying campaign, Paco Alcacer, had been left out of the squad, as had high-profile but low-yield Chelsea frontman Diego Costa, and the lack of a world-class striker presented manager Vicente Del Bosque with his squad’s biggest flaw. Or so we thought.
Now, a week into the tournament, Alvaro Morata has leapt to the top of the scoring charts with a brace in his team’s comprehensive victory over Turkey, which also saw Celta Vigo forward Nolito get onto the scoresheet with a well-taken effort.
Álvaro Morata has now scored 4 goals in 11 games for #ESP.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 17, 2016
Brilliant header. pic.twitter.com/TyhcXOeERn
Striker problems? What striker problems?
Friday night’s goalscoring exploits will come as a major relief to the Spain camp, because the meeting with Turkey was a crucial one for the forwards, especially Morata.
The Juventus striker had played well in the group stage opener against the Czech Republic, but his failure to score in that game had attracted some moderate criticism in the Spanish press, and he knew that he needed a goal to prevent the doubts from growing.
Now, with two goals under his belt, Morata’s place is the team is firmly assured, with the fact that he was the first choice for Spanish national television’s post-match interview showing the esteem in which he is now held after doing the thing which all strikers, however good their general play might be, simply must do: scoring.
Goals have always been Morata’s problem. His game intelligence, movement, mental attitude and ability to link the play have never been questioned, but a moderate scoring record (just seven goals in 34 league games for Juventus this season) allowed doubts to linger and saw Del Bosque experiment with several options before settling upon the 23 year-old.
Morata, though, does have a history of excelling in tournament play.
Three summers ago, he was in the Spain team for the Under 21 European Championship, starting every game alongside several current senior squad members including Koke, David De Gea and Thiago Alcantara.
Spain won every game to cruise to the title, with Morata finishing as the competition’s leading scorer – an honour he had already earned in the U-19 edition two years earlier, which also ended in title glory.
With Nolito at his side and a midfield inspired by Andres Iniesta providing the ammunition, it would perhaps be unwise to bet against Morata enjoying the same outcome in France.
