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Alvaro Morata vs Romelu Lukaku both enter Chelsea-Man United on barren runs
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Alvaro Morata and Romelu Lukaku face each other for Chelsea and
Manchester United on Sunday having seen their sensational starts to the
season for their new clubs evaporate -- both go into the Stamford Bridge
clash without a goal since September.
The two strikers were
central to one of the transfer sagas of the summer, with United ditching
their interest in signing Morata from Real Madrid to hijack Chelsea's
attempt to take Lukaku back to the club from Everton.
And in the
opening weeks of the season, it appeared that both Chelsea and United
had hit the jackpot with their purchases, with Morata scoring seven
goals in his first eight games in all competitions for Antonio Conte's
team and Lukaku hitting 11 in 10 outings for Jose Mourinho's side.
But
since the end of September, the goals have dried up and both have seen
their momentum halted by injuries, which has led to a loss of form.
In Morata's case, the Spaniard has raised doubts over his long-term
commitment to Chelsea by claiming in the Italian media earlier this week
-- before hastily backtracking in a Champions League news conference in
Rome the following day -- that he cannot envisage a length stay in
London.
Lukaku, meanwhile, find himself at the centre of a public
spat between Mourinho and the United supporters, with the Old Trafford
manager defending the Belgium forward against what he perceives to be a
lack of backing for the player.
A goal for either Morata or Lukaku
would help change the landscape, but as the stats show, it is not just
in front of goal that two of the most expensive strikers in the world
have been falling short.
Each player has seen their all-round
contribution dip during the barren month of October, so will November be
any different unless they get their on-field numbers back to the levels
of early season?
In terms of shots, Morata managed an average of 3.4 per game during
his run of seven goals in eight matches. In the six games since, his
shot rate has dropped to 1.8 per game.
When it comes to shots on
target, Morata has gone from 1.3 per game during his goal run to 0.7
over the six matches he has failed to hit the back of the net.
Lukaku's
drop has been even more noticeable, with the United striker having an
average of 4.2 shots per game during his 10-match scoring streak before
dropping 1.8 in his last six games.
His shots on target rate has
also dropped from 2.4 per game to 0.7, so it is clear to see why both
Morata and Lukaku are finding it difficult to score -- neither of them
are shooting on goal enough.
Their work rate has also declined,
with Morata dropping from an average of 30.4 touches per game to 25.3
during his goalless run.
Lukaku's numbers show a similar drop, going from 34.7 touches per game to 29.5.
In the penalty area, it is the same story. Morata has gone from 5.1
to 3.7 touches per game; Lukaku's contribution has dropped by more than
half from 5.9 penalty area touches to 2.8 -- a stat perhaps backing up
the frustrations of some United fans who believe that he does not
contribute enough when not scoring.
Both men are also creating fewer chances -- 1.0 to 0.7 per game for Morata; 1.6 to 1.2 for Lukaku.
In
defence of both strikers, the opposition faced by Chelsea and United
during their goalless six games has been generally stronger than in the
early weeks of the season.
Chelsea faced Manchester City and Roma
twice during that run, failing to win any of those three fixtures, while
United have taken on Liverpool and Tottenham -- scoring just once in
180 minutes against their two top-six rivals.
But ultimately, neither Morata nor Lukaku were signed by their clubs to endure long runs without scoring.
They
are the men tasked with delivering match-winning strikes in the
tightest of games and both know that doing so on Sunday would be the
perfect way to silence the critics.
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Antonio Conte refused to criticise Alvaro Morata for missing several key chances to score in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, insisting that the striker has simply not been "lucky" in front of goal in recent games. Morata found himself behind the Arsenal defence with only Petr Cech to beat three times at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening, twice missing the target and hitting the third attempt straight at the goalkeeper as Chelsea threatened to score a dramatic winning goal in the final seconds. Conte was visibly frustrated at his team's wastefulness on the touchline, but insisted after the match that Morata will soon rediscover his confidence in front of goal as long as he continues to get himself into scoring positions. "He's not lucky in this period, but he has to continue to work and to improve," Conte told Sky Sports. "For the striker it's very important to score. In this case it's a pity because he had many chanc...
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