Forget the Recompra, Morata doesn't deserve to start for Juventus
How times have changed. Just a few weeks ago, Alvaro Morata was Mister Champions League, the young Spanish star Juventus had basically stolen from Real Madrid at a bargain price and who had rewarded his club by scoring in five consecutive games in Europe's elite competition, including two against his parent club in last year's Champions League.
Even at the start of the season, some were questioning Juventus' decision to bring in strikers Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza, with room likely at a premium with Morata and Paulo Dybala leading the line.
They may have been right about Dybala, but Alvaro Morata has quickly seen his dream turn into a nightmare.
We exclusively reported that both Juventus and Morata turned down a Florentino Perez approach in summer, though Real Madrid could have always waited till summer to excercise their right to buy the Spaniard back if he couldn't agree to a new deal with Juventus, a clause also known as the Recompra.
Considering how poorly Morata has played of late... does he even deserve to be starting right now, let alone dreaming of the €4 million a year salary Real had ready for him in case he returned to his former club?
The Sevilla game was his chance to shine, with Zaza and Mandzukic out. The 23-year-old could have put it all behind him, from the coloured sock we saw against Borussia to the small strains in his relationship with Allegri and the solitary Serie A goal he's netted so far (against Bologna). And yet, given a shot at glory in his preferred centre-forward role... Morata blew it, even more so than his team-mates.
It turns out the oft-criticised Max Allegri was right: the Spaniard really hasn't earned the right to start right now, to be more than a twelth man, or a third wheel in attack stuck on the left. Instead of proving that he should have been ahead of Dybala and Mandzukic... Morata has confirmed that the two have earned it more than him.
A series of selfish initiatives and two horrible mistakes in front of goal may have cost Juve the chance of drawing an easier opponent in the next round. Or, you know, a team not named Barcelona or Bayern Munich. That would have been something.
Recompra? Right now Morata needs to prove that he is a Juventus player, never mind a Galactico. He's a far cry from the man who convinced Andrea Agnelli to build a team, a future around him, and send Fernando Llorente - the man who scored the winner tonight - away.
