dodojojo

Torres took penalties for Atletico for years and also for Spain (though he wasn't the main guy). But I think he went through a bad patch, lost his nerve and hasn't taken them since coming to England. You won't see him fighting a teammate to get a penalty kick.

Well according Guillen Balague, the opposite of selling Torres is going to happen. Radio interview And I'm aware Balague isn't liked or trusted by many but from the transfer saga, it did sound like he had/has direct contact to Torres and/or his camp.

Cancer's not funny but...

Embarrassment to "journalism".

http://www.rojadirecta.es/ http://atdhenet.tv/ http://www.firstrowsports.eu/

Or that he's going to start Torres against Man U on Tuesday. The media and Torres haters have sniggered each time, "dropped" against Blackpool--saved to start against Man City. "Dropped" against Stoke--started against Man U. "Dropped" against Wigan...call me crazy but I think Torres is going to start on Tuesday.

Any combo that's NOT Drogba or Torres is better than the two of them together. I think this is the issue and it's one that may be putting people's noses out of joint. Chelsea have moved away from a 4-3-3 in order to play 4-4-2 with Drogba and Torres. Or to play Torres at all. Ancelotti is in a tough spot because leaving either out, especially for the big games, brings him grief. That and maybe he really believes having the both of them on is better than only having one? I think it's time to accept that just because on paper Drogba and Torres look good together doesn't mean that's what is transpiring on the pitch. I understand Henri's sentiment. A part of me feels the same way and I want throw my hands in the air and just say, "Screw it, there are only a few games left, give in to what is "natural" and the old order and play whatever will make the majority of the players happy." And if they're happy, maybe they'll produce. And that may mean Torres on the bench. It'll be a pyrrhic victory for the old guard because no matter what happens, Abramovich isn't going to change his mind; selling Nando in the summer, persisting with players in their 30's and not buy younger talent, is he? And if he does, I fear for Chelsea FC. Of course all of this is predicated on speculation that there is unrest due to Torres' inclusion in the starting formation. Who knows, maybe everyone is happy and dandy with it....

What edge? Torres has played 4 games this season against Man U and hasn't scored a goal. He scored 2 in 2 last season. I think he still keeps them on their toes, but there isn't a psychological edge anymore. If any thing it's probably the other way around. And diving or not, the next time Ferdinand gets in Nando's face, I hope Torres "accidently" steps on the bum's toes (don't want Nando to pick up a card or anything...). True. *Sigh** It would be an experiment anyway, so why not bring on Josh M or Benayoun? They're no Gerrards but they should be able to thread a pass or two.

He had at least one, early in the game when he thundered in a shot that VDS tipped out for a corner...if my faulty memory serves me right. Torres had a great opportunity early on too, when he intercepted the ball, had acres of space, brought the ball into box but slipped just as he shot and it ended up a tame save for VDS.

Go 4-5-1 with Torres. Many don't want him to start the Man U game anyway, preferring to go back to 4-3-3 with Anelka, Malouda and Drogba. So why not go whole hog with a Torres-friendly formation and let's see if that kick-starts his Chelsea career.

Or a 4-2-3-1. I read on a another site that Ancelotti should go 4-5-1 in the 2nd leg. There's no way in hell Ancelotti would be brave or stupid enough to pull off such an experiment at this stage. It's something he should have done earlier on, like say against Copenhagen at home. Or Blackpool. It would have allowed everyone to see if Torres would truly be effective for Chelsea. But going with this formation would mean the benching of Drogba, Anelka and Kalou. Too revolutionary. Instead Ancelotti has persisted with compromising for both sides and nullifying the very best of many of the players. Many can't play the 442. Drogba and Torres can't play together. Torres isn't great in 433. Should have gone 4-3-3 with the old lineup and/or 4-5-1 with Torres. And then used the one for the appropriate opponent.

In the photos with the short sleeve shirt, Torres' left wrist is heavily taped. I did notice during the game he was holding it at one point, like he was stretching out an injury. Maybe he had to ditch the long sleeve jersey to accommodate the tape?

Have said this and bummed to yet to be proved wrong, but I just don't think they can play together. And even if they could play together a bit--they naturally have huge oversize number one striker egos that prevents the little bit of cooperation. I don't think that's something that can be changed. I'd rather one of them sit. I love Torres and of course want him to play but I'd rather he sit than play in a screwed up formation that only adds to his off form. It's the story of his national team career. Too talented to leave on the bench but completely unsuited to the style of play--so he's used to drag and stretch defenses. Every now and then, he latches onto a goal. And in the case of the Euro Final, through Villa's injury, Spain played him in his favored lone striker role and he delivered. His presence has clearly put some people off (again, understandably so, it may not be right, but it's human nature) and he's finding it hard to fully integrate into the team and its play. I stand by my belief that he offers a lot to the team but if what he's offering isn't being taken advantage of, then it only hurts the team. If that's the end result, then he should sit. That or the coach does something about it but 2 months in, I haven't seen much evidence of Ancelotti doing anything to address the issue. Granted he's between a rock, a hard place and the deep blue sea with winning, pleasing the owner and keeping the dressing room.

I noticed that Torres wore his customary long sleeve shirt in the first half and then switched to a short sleeve shirt and long sleeve undershirt in the second half. Anyone hear why he made the switch?

Hoping Benayoun is THE answer is going to disappoint a lot of people. He may help. He likely won't either. Drogba will more often than not look more "threatening" than Torres even if the end product is the same. They take up the space of the center forward position but their style of play is very different. Even last November when Torres scored twice against Chelsea, think about what he looked like the entire 90 minutes. Do you remember? Perhaps 3 or 4 very good moments and from that, 2 spectacular goals. He's always drifted in and out of games. Sure on his best days, he looked like he was all over the place but those kind of games don't happen all the time. The difference is at his pomp, he would win games with one or two great moments per game. It's not working out for him right now. And today he wasn't close to great. But if that header had gone in, what would everyone be saying? Most likely that he has to be starting forward for next week's game. One goal from 3 or 4 good moments. More or less that's the way he's played in the last 4 years. Unfortunately right now, he's going through the less part....very, very less. And no, at this point, I don't know what's going to change for him. Like Chelsea, perhaps 2010-11 can't end soon enough for him. It's been a nightmare. Having said all that 0-1 isn't insurmountable. ManU are in charge of course, but one goal from Chelsea next week and there's hope yet again.

Couldn't the same site work for the question, "Has Liverpool won the Premier League?"

Drogba looking sharp, Torres less so. He does a good thing then follow it up with not so good. Chelsea midfield has no control right now and I wonder if Ancelotti will change formation to 4-3-3 and take out Torres? Man U's diagonal passes are crisp and killing Chelsea. Boswinga really did killed on the goal.

Boswinga exploited, Man U have done their job tonight.

So it's a 4-5-1 with Kalou on top then?

Now that Ancelotti has punched and strangled him, Torres will come good.

With his recent NT form, he may not be called up any way Llorente is the new IT boy, even when he doesn't score.

Man management Italian style...

No, it's not about money. It would be about whether or not Ancelotti and Abramovich agree on the direction taken. If Ancelotti buys to keep playing the same system and style and/or if he insists on keeping some of the aging superstars around, I can see him going if RA isn't in agreement with this direction. As a coach, most are risk-averse, especially the Italians, and they aren't usually inclined to making radical changes. A new coach may be a better fit and plus the new coach may not have the baggage of history and personal relationships. He could come in and clear out some old/dead wood. I'm not saying I want or think Ancelotti will go. I'm just presenting a plausible scenario of why he could go. I like Ancelotti from his Milan days so it's not like I want him gone. Just knowing his history, I wonder if he's got in him to lead Chelsea to a bright new dawn.

Other than the CL issues (going far in it and qualifying for next season), I think a major factor is how on board Ancelotti is with Chelsea as a different team next year. The current team cycle is coming to a close and if he and Abramovich don't see eye to eye on moving forward, then there's little chance of Ancelotti staying. Ancelotti doesn't exactly have a record of transitioning from a winning but aging team to a younger and different team. And I think this has to happen with Chelsea if you're going to maximize Torres and Luiz (and some of the rumored young talents coming in). Ancelotti left Juventus when that great team came to a close and the same with AC Milan.

If you're a striker and you haven't scored in 8 games then obviously there's room for improvement. Torres fans know this, it's just hard to say this sensibly because the majority view (out there) is that he's a huge flop. He needs to improve, his teammates need to improve too. I'd start hanging my head if I was a striker who laid the ball off and then rarely see it come back my way. David Villa, Spain's greatest ever scorer, starting striker on the best club in the world, hasn't scored in six games for Barca. It happens.