No Gray Areas - Chelsea's Torres to shine
Much has been made of Fernando Torres' so-called slow start at Chelsea but it must be remembered that he hasn't even played a full game for them yet. It's far too early to condemn him.
The Spaniard did cut a forlorn figure against Fulham and I understand Chelsea fans who had expected him to hit the ground running. But it doesn't always work like that, especially for strikers. A front man needs to play his way into a side and they need to adapt their system to him.
Torres had a poor World Cup, despite winning it with Spain, he struggled at the end of last season and hasn't been at his best this term. He has scored nine goals though, which works out at about one goal every two games, around nineteen a season. For £50 million, it's understandable that fans want a better return than that but it's not a bad record when you consider that the boy is not playing to his full potential.
Carlo Ancelotti has to decide how he is going to get his team to play to Torres' strengths. He may need to re-jig his midfield and there are big decisions to make there. Does he go with five or will he play two strikers? Can Didier Drogba and Torres play together? What about Nicolas Anelka? I'm not sure that Ancelotti sees three up top as a long term solution but, as with all these questions, only time will tell.
Roman Abramovich would not have paid £50 million for Torres if he didn't believe he was a great player. He and Ancelotti will not be alarmed by what they've seen so far. Once he scores his first goals for Chelsea, he will be up and running and more success will follow. He has a lot to offer the club. Remember, Torres may yet win Chelsea the Champions League this season. My advice to fans? Give Torres a chance.
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 21 Feb 2011
Tooclean (February 21, 2011 9:41 AM) said:
Torres is good,half fit Torres is better than any full fit Man.U or Arsenal striker. I think they are just being jelous,they should live our striker alone. Afterall it took Babertov 2 seasons before finding his feet.
Tooclean (February 21, 2011 9:42 AM) said:
Torres is good,half fit Torres is better than any full fit Man.U or Arsenal striker. I think they are just being jelous,they should live our striker alone. Afterall it took Babertov 2 seasons before finding his feet.
Horace Horlicks (February 21, 2011 12:12 PM) said:
I would like to take issue with two comments made by Andy and Tooclean. Andy said Abramavich wouldn't pay £50 million for Torres if he didn't believe he was a great player. Well he paid £50 million for Shevchenko didn't he? Tooclean said it took Berbatov 2 years to find his feet. If you are paying £30 million for a player, you don't want him to take 2 years to find his feet especially when he's approaching 30 and he's about to lose those feet he's just found. The only manager who has a clue in the transfer department is Wegner. He buys players for a few million with potential to grow into his squad. Then when they're worth about £50 million and 35+, ship them off to mugs like Man Utd and Chelsea. I think Torres value on the transfer market will be about £5 million by the end of next season and Berbatov about £2 million. Some team like Stockport or Bury might snap him up on loan and give him a couple of years to find his feet.
Best Wishes
Horace Horlicks (February 21, 2011 12:24 PM) said:
Dear Andy and Tooclean,
I would like to take issue with some of your comments. Andy: You said Ambramavih wouldn't pay £50 million if he didn't think Torres was a great player. Didn't he pay £50 million for Shevchenko? And Tooclean: You said it took Berbatov 2 years to find his feet. If you're paying £30 million for a striker approaching 30 you don't want him to take 2 years to find his feet when it's approaching the time of his career that he's about to lose those feet he's just found. In a year or two Manyou will be loaning out Berbatov to Stockport or Bury for a couple of years to find his feet again.
Best Wishes Horace
NirupoM Cech (February 21, 2011 1:57 PM) said:
I dont think anelka shud stay . As Sturridge is getting polished in Bolton he shud be recalled .
paddy murphy (February 25, 2011 8:21 AM) said:
Yes. Sturridge could be the key. Anelka good for another season.