Antonio Conte sends message to Alvaro Morata after Chelsea striker’s horror show

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has told Alvaro Morata he must keep working hard and improving if he is to end his poor run of form which culminated in a disastrous display against Arsenal. The Spaniard has only scored in one of his last five Premier League matches and missed a hat-trick of one-on-ones at the Emirates on Wednesday – setting a new record for misses this season in the process. Chelsea had to settle for a point despite creating enough chances to win the match, and Conte admits his £70 million summer signing is struggling at the moment.

The Italian told Sky Sports: ‘He’s not liking this period. He has to continue to work, continue to improve. ‘For the striker it’s very important to score. In this case I repeat it’s a pity, because he had many chances to score.

‘But at the same time I’m very happy for his commitment, his effort for the team.’ At his press conference, he expanded further: ‘The only thing I can tell him is to continue to work, to stay calm, to continue to work in this way for the team. ‘If he does the chances will arrive for him and also for the other players. I repeat, I understand for the striker it’s not easy when you don’t score.

‘But don’t forget for Alvaro this is the first time he’s played regularly because he didn’t play regularly with Juventus or Real Madrid. ‘But I’m very happy for his commitment and the way he’s playing. He has to stay calm and to continue to play this way and the goal is coming.’ When Morata missed the second of his one-on-ones, Conte even dropped to the ground and hit the floor in anger, though says he was not furious with Morata.

Conte dropped to the ground when Morata missed the second of his three glorious chances (Picture: Sky Sports) 

He continued: ‘In that moment, when you see that you are missing a great chance to win the game, for sure there is a bit of disappointment. ‘But my disappointment is the same as my players. We work together, we win together, we draw together, we lose together. It’s a pity today because we deserved to win.’