Rarely in the past few years has the embarrassment and torture endured by one man reinvigorated the lives of so many others. Fernando Torres was once the darling of the world’s Premier league but now stands on a par with such reviled sports superstars as Lebron James and Tiger Woods. Torres was the focal point of the Liverpool team which enjoyed a mini-revival in the later part of the last decade but his form has stagnated in since his big money move to Chelsea last January.
What is the reason for this staggering change in form? Some of you might be murmuring that he showed signs of his current form in his final days on the banks of the Mersey. However, dips in form are the most common aspect in the life of a sports star. What is most interesting about Torres’ story is that his dip in form has lasted over such a long period of time. Wayne Rooney experienced a goal drought in the early part of last season but has refound his frightening peak in recent weeks.
Torres has always been the focal point of his previous clubs first team. His place on the team sheet was rarely in danger even if he suffered a goal drought of any sustained period. At Atletico Madrid, he enjoyed a successful time in attack with the now lauded Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero. However, his place in the team was never questioned despite relatively poor goalscoring records in ‘La Liga’ from his debut in 2002 to his departure in the summer of 2007. In 173 Spanish league appearance Torres had the surprisingly low tally of 75 goals.
Replacement forwards such as Florent Sinama Pongolle and Antonio Reyes did not prove to be credible competition to Torres’ reign as ‘King of the Calderon’ during the latter part of the Spaniard’s period in Madrid. Thus, ‘El Nino’ was never under much pressure for his place in the team. The Spaniard has had to wait until his transfer to Stamford Bridge to experience the reality of having to compete for a starting position. Just as Frank Lampard and John Terry have been staples of the Chelsea team for the best part of a decade, Torres, when fit, has almost always been the first name on the teamsheet for Atletico and Liverpool.
His status as Kop hero was secured as soon as he blitzed past Tal Ben-Haim to score the opener in a 1-1 draw versus Chelsea in his second League start. In that brief moment, he showed the Liverpool fans what he could produce against one of England’s best teams. The experienced and reliable Ben Haim was left stunned by Torres’ stunning acceleration before he finished coolly past Petr Cech. A star was born on the banks of the Mersey.
In that first season, his strike rate exceeded anything he had ever done before. Torres found the target 24 times in 29 starts and became the central figure of an improving Liverpool outfit. Existing strikers knew their time was numbered. The following summer, Andriy Voronin and Peter Crouch were on their way out and Dirk Kuyt was forced to adapt to a new role on the wing to ensure a starting place. As far as Torres was concerned, he had proven himself as one of the world’s most lethal finishers. His exceptional first season was the precursor to Liverpool’s most successful League performance since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.
In 2008/2009 Torres joined Steven Gerrard as the most influential players in the Liverpool squad. Teams immediately breathed a huge sigh of relief when his name wasn’t inked on the teamsheet. Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, this was a common occurance. It is quite possible that if Torres had started more than just 24 games that season, Liverpool would have been celebrating their first league triumph since 1990. Instead, the Merseysiders had to again play the role of gallant runners-up as Manchester United took another step towards knocking Liverpool “off their f*****g perch”.
Since that season, Torres has failed to produce the consistently powerful performances of those first two seasons. He became hampered by injuries. Luckily for him, Liverpool were lacking in strikers who could come in and make an impact in his absence. In reality, his place was never in doubt. Dirk Kuyt was now a converted winger and David Ngog lived up to his two million-pound transfer tag by failing to make a profound impact in his numerous opportunities.
Fast forward to 2011 and Torres is again out of the side. However, the cause of his current absence is not due to injuries but a rash, reckless lunge on Mark Gower. His nine months in London have been arduous to say the least. His total of three goals in that period of time has been very hard to interpret for football fans, particularly Chelsea supporters.
Is it simply the monstrous price tag which has reduced this once great frontman to a stumbling, nervous wreck on the football field? Has he simply passed his peak as a top class forward or have those injuries affected his physical performance? It is difficult to say. Torres is finding it difficult to understand that he has to reprove his credentials after his exceptional time at Anfield. Torres could no longer afford to perform poorly for fear of being subbed by a very talented forward replacement. You could see his confidence ebb away. It became a regular occurrence to see him trudging off the turf after sixty minutes when he consistently incurred the wrath of opposition supporters singing “what a waste of money”.
They said that a full pre-season with his new side would help him relive his past glories. However, things have not got any easier. The Chelsea strikeforce has two new additions in Daniel Sturridge and Romelu Lukaku to add to Anelka, Kalou and lynchpin Didier Drogba. It is clear that Torres is Villas Boas’ preferred centre forward but he has yet to fully repay that faith with consistently top class performances.
He has shown signs of his glimpses of brilliance in his last few performances but it is a case of one step forward and two steps back for the Spaniard. Two exquisite finishes against Manchester United and Swansea have been followed by one horrendous miss and an ugly tackle. How do you think Roman Abramovich is feeling looking at his huge investment self-destruct on such a consistent basis? How do you think his team-mates feel when they see Torres describing them as “old” and “slow”? Patience is not a gift that Mr Abramovich possesses in any great quantity and it will eventually run out even if that does mean taking a hefty loss on any future transfer of the Spaniard.
As I made reference to earlier, Chelsea are plentiful in their talent up front. Sturridge is making a telling impact at Stamford Bridge following his excellent loan spell at Bolton last year. Lukaku will get more game time as he gets use to his new surroundings. As well as this, Drogba and Anelka will not be happy to sit on the sidelines collecting their hefty paypackets. Torres is in trouble. He must adapt quickly or else be left with the legacy of ‘biggest transfer bust of all time’.
No comments:
Post a Comment