Fernando Torres - Uncertainty is Surrounding Our Striker. Will He Sink or Swim this Season?
Unanswered questions constantly surround our £50m star man. That pretty much sums up the Spaniards roller-coaster Chelsea Career! It ju...
https://www.chelseadaft.org/2012/09/fernando-torres-uncertainty-is.html
Unanswered questions constantly surround our £50m star man. That pretty much sums up the Spaniards roller-coaster Chelsea Career! It just wouldn't be Fernando Torres without the accompanying controversy would it? His outburst of emotion following his withdrawal from the QPR game has once again put our striker at the centre of attention for less than desirable reasons. Sadly instances when Torres is a major talking point because of his goal scoring exploits on the pitch are very limited these days!
… The big question on every Chelsea fans' mind is will Fernando Torres ever return to his best form?
With such a short amount of cover for centre forward, our number 9 needs to be on the top of his game if we are to have any chance of securing a top 4 finish and improving on last seasons league campaign. There is a lot of stiff competition this time around, many good squads have been assembled and they will be challenging us all the way; the heat is truly on.
… So will the Spanish international be able to carry us over the finish line with a 20 plus goal tally?
The signs are arguably looking promising; Fernando has scored 2 goals in the opening 4 league games of the season and his goal against Newcastle was outstanding. 2 in 4 is a comforting statistic on the surface, especially considering the tough times he has endured at Chelsea, but does this statistic hold any true substance? Are his performances on the whole looking like they are going to reward us with the goals that were originally promised along with his hefty £50m price tag? Do these first 2 goals spell the road to recovery for the Spaniard, or simply a temporary reprieve from a colossal goal drought?
After the QPR match, when asked about Torres’ poor form in the past two games, Roberto Di Matteo replied;
We can't put too much pressure on one player… We are a team and everybody has responsibility. We're looking for other players to score goals as well.
To me it looks like Di Matteo is simply attempting to lift some of the weight and expectation off of the strikers’ shoulders. However, could there be a subtle hint hidden within this comment? Perhaps a message of a lack of confidence in his ability to bag us goals?
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Some of the Blues faithful are becoming increasingly frustrated with our main man, a minority claiming that that he requires being spoon fed with 1-on-1 opportunities to score goals. Interestingly, of the 81 goals he scored for Liverpool, 56 of them were as a direct result from a defence-splitting through ball. Is this the sign of a 1 dimensional striker? Or the sign of a clinical finisher who makes intelligent runs in behind?
I wouldn't go as far as saying Torres requires being spoon fed, however he does look reluctant to pull the trigger when he has the chance. You will see Fernando create a half yard of space for a shot, then second guess himself and decide to cut back inside, which usually leads to the chance being wasted. In these moments it looks like his goal scoring instincts have all but abandoned him... One minute the Spaniard is radiating confidence, the next the spring in his step is completely gone... The enigma that is Fernando Torres!
We all want him to succeed in Chelsea blue, but there must come a point when he has to either sink or swim. Questions do need to be raised by the powers-that-be at Chelsea Football Club. Does our number 9 offer enough on the pitch to be seen as an automatic starter and the long term replacement to Didier Drogba?
I believe that the "Torres will come good" mantra has become increasingly tired. Admittedly we have all either said it or heard it at some point, but blind faith in what could happen just cannot sustain us fans forever. It is time for Fernando to repay the faith we have shown in him with an end product. Unfortunately some players just don't fit into certain clubs, and this could well be the case, only time will tell. The harsh reality of the modern game is that strikers are only worth their weight in goals, if he cannot deliver this season, will it be time for him to move on?
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Ask yourselves; would we be persevering with Fernando and putting all our eggs into his basket if he wasn't such a supremely pricey investment?
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Without a doubt the stage has been set for Torres to perform, we have signed almost £80m worth of attacking midfield talent in order to galvanize our main man, we have attempted to conform to his preferred play style to get the most out of him. We have shipped out all of our strikers bar 1 to reassure him that he is our go to guy.
With all that in mind, the 2012-13 season is clearly the most important time in Torres' Chelsea career, and judgement day is fast approaching. Can Fernando be the savior that we Chelsea fans believed he would be back in January of 2011?
I hope so! And lets hope he shows his class tomorrow night as we kick-off our Champions League campaign against Serie A leaders Juventus at the Bridge!
So what is your verdict ChelseaDaft readers?
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Some of the Blues faithful are becoming increasingly frustrated with our main man, a minority claiming that that he requires being spoon fed with 1-on-1 opportunities to score goals. Interestingly, of the 81 goals he scored for Liverpool, 56 of them were as a direct result from a defence-splitting through ball. Is this the sign of a 1 dimensional striker? Or the sign of a clinical finisher who makes intelligent runs in behind?
I wouldn't go as far as saying Torres requires being spoon fed, however he does look reluctant to pull the trigger when he has the chance. You will see Fernando create a half yard of space for a shot, then second guess himself and decide to cut back inside, which usually leads to the chance being wasted. In these moments it looks like his goal scoring instincts have all but abandoned him... One minute the Spaniard is radiating confidence, the next the spring in his step is completely gone... The enigma that is Fernando Torres!
We all want him to succeed in Chelsea blue, but there must come a point when he has to either sink or swim. Questions do need to be raised by the powers-that-be at Chelsea Football Club. Does our number 9 offer enough on the pitch to be seen as an automatic starter and the long term replacement to Didier Drogba?
I believe that the "Torres will come good" mantra has become increasingly tired. Admittedly we have all either said it or heard it at some point, but blind faith in what could happen just cannot sustain us fans forever. It is time for Fernando to repay the faith we have shown in him with an end product. Unfortunately some players just don't fit into certain clubs, and this could well be the case, only time will tell. The harsh reality of the modern game is that strikers are only worth their weight in goals, if he cannot deliver this season, will it be time for him to move on?
*
Ask yourselves; would we be persevering with Fernando and putting all our eggs into his basket if he wasn't such a supremely pricey investment?
*
Without a doubt the stage has been set for Torres to perform, we have signed almost £80m worth of attacking midfield talent in order to galvanize our main man, we have attempted to conform to his preferred play style to get the most out of him. We have shipped out all of our strikers bar 1 to reassure him that he is our go to guy.
With all that in mind, the 2012-13 season is clearly the most important time in Torres' Chelsea career, and judgement day is fast approaching. Can Fernando be the savior that we Chelsea fans believed he would be back in January of 2011?
I hope so! And lets hope he shows his class tomorrow night as we kick-off our Champions League campaign against Serie A leaders Juventus at the Bridge!
So what is your verdict ChelseaDaft readers?
- Is Fernando Torres going to get us the 20+ goals this season?
- OR should we cut our losses on the £50m hitman?
Be sure to give a justification of your opinion to get some good discussion flowing!
Article by Martin Smith
Follow me on Twitter @MartinSmithCFC
KTBFFH!
I have to say, im impressed with these articles. Keep it up Martin Smith
ReplyDeleteI tink d problem is wif Chelsea style of play not Torres,we are too one dimensional always trying to break oppositions defense only through the middle witout utilizing d flanks.most time d midfielder are too far from d striker making it easy 4 defenders 2 subdue him.van persie scored most of his goal inside d box wif walcot nd gervinho contributing most of d goals from square play,the same with united Valencia.if Chelsea can get more decent crosses from the flanks I see Torres scoring goal,Torres practically been creating his own goal by himself.Torres can still hit more than 30goals this season if Chelsea go all out attacking like Madrid did with dem players last season.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Torres has lost is goalscoring instinct. There were many times when he had the opportunity he created spaces for himself to shoot but had to hold onto the ball. Torres this days touches the ball too many times, which is very unusual of a striker and still pulls out of is position several times. In my opinion i feel chelsea should cut there loss on him by letting him go.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Sturridge is the answer. He is more of a threat, faster, more skillful and produces more. Hazard, Mata, Moses with Sturridge up front. Mark my words, this will be our most productive bunch up front unless our formation changes. I still don't know what to do with OSCAR. I feel that Oscar needs to play but where? And ahead of who?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your write up. Quite apt. Torres needs to play for the team as well and be less aggressive towards the ref and his assistants. Also Di should PLEASE let Lampard rest. He cannot play all the matches. Di should copy the way SAF is using Scholes and Giggs. Let Ramires/Romeu/Miket play the holding role while Moses/Mata/Oscar/Hazard support Torres or Sturridge. Lampard can come in as substitute. All said, Torres is not as potent as his days in Liverpool. Chelsea still need a striker, Torres cannot do it!
ReplyDeleteTorres is still a good striker. He may be off his Liverpool pace, but I think we need to as fans let him go out and do his job. Chelsea havent really provided el nino with many clear cut chances. To the people who doubt Torres, just realise that chelsea havent used him well. He almost never gets the ball from our mids. To have a world-class striker on form requires lots of chances, and he really hasnt been played in enough in recent games (especially qpr). hopefully the blues get him on the ball, and hell do great thinks against the old lady.
ReplyDeletep.s. great writing martin smith! keep it up
DeleteHe will score 20+ goals this season but we should still cut our losses. I can't quite put my finger on it (most likely I think he has lost his frightening pace) but he looks done, I think his heavy schedule around 2009/2010 has taken away his edge, not the same player since. It's such a shame because for 18 months I've backed him to the hills and beyond. We could do a swap plus cash for Falcao, Atletico is his real home.
ReplyDelete