Mis-firing Torres

[dodojojo 510]

That feels me with complete dread given how good our medical team are. The medical probably involved him smoking a fag and having a pint.....His knee could go again at any time......

That's not entirely accurate, Torres doesn't smoke.

Well the team doc was recently canned and AVB is bringing in Porto's fitness coach so let's pray to every god possible Torres and everyone else stays fit.

[steve5221 91]

That's not entirely accurate, Torres doesn't smoke.

Well the team doc was recently canned and AVB is bringing in Porto's fitness coach so let's pray to every god possible Torres and everyone else stays fit.

I would imagine that it would have been a glass of fine red rather than a pint to.....

[nullabletype 987]

I don't get why people worry about Torres. It's not as if the entire team was playing brilliantly and he was a week link. Torres was unfortunate to come in to the team during a heavy slump, with a seemingly uninspired coach. Then we can throw the fact we lacked the quality a player like him needs to thrive and getting to know new team mates in to the mix, and it's hardly surprising he wasn't firing on all cylinders.

Looking at his performances objectively, he really didn't play all that bad. Sure he lacked goals, but he was a decent team player. The only reason he looks particularly bad is because of all the press surrounding him. I think he'll be back and scoring this season.

[dodojojo 510]

David Villa had 2 goals for Barca during the same period as Torres' slump, roughly. And I don't know this for sure, but considering the number of subs Torres had or made, I bet Villa had more minutes than Nando from Feb-May.

No one is saying Villa is finished.

[Peace. 4,352]

David Villa had 2 goals for Barca during the same period as Torres' slump, roughly. And I don't know this for sure, but considering the number of subs Torres had or made, I bet Villa had more minutes than Nando from Feb-May.

No one is saying Villa is finished.

Because at the contrary of Torres, Villa was good ! I'd even say very good. Plus the fact that Pep Guardoila continued to play him proved he was still good and brought something to Barça. The same thing can't be said about Torres.

[zolayes 14,489]

I wanted him regardless of the price.

Torres struggled last season because of half-hearted service up to him. We had no natural width besides when Malouda decided to play there instead of drifting infield, and a lack of a creative midfielder meant he was feeding off Drogba's scraps.

This year is a question of confidence moreso than creativity. Yes, we need the width and the intelligence installed in the midfield (I don't see why we can't play JM46 in the 'Xavi role,' he'd be perfect), but if AVB can instil confidence in El Nino once again, we'll see him win the Golden Boot next year.

you have hit the key word CONFIDENCE ,,,its what all players but especially strikers need and thrive on . It is however a fragile thing. In all sports

even the greatest can lose it and perform like novices .. In his first game for us against Liverpool he had a great chance in the opening minutes.

Nine times out of 10 he would have buried it. He could even have given Drogba a tap in but his strikers instinct made him try himself. From the

firrst miss the confidence seemed to drain from him . His touch got worse his reactions slower allowing defenders to get back and close him down

or block his shots . Lack of confidence causes players to doubt their instincts and talent .. They THINK TOO MUCH about what they should do

instead of trusting their instincts Torres still made great runs and took up good positions but the slowing down through doubts caused missed

opportunities .. It happens in ALL sports and even to the greatest ..

The solution : in individual sports he will go to his coach or a sports pyschologist .

The advice I would give Torres ..... DONT THINK ....if the ball is there ..HIT THE FUCKING THING ....

(perhaps the opposite advice would be useful to Kalou)

I have confidence that Torres will deliver this season.. KTF in Chelsea and Fernando

[dodojojo 510]

The advice I would give Torres ..... DONT THINK ....if the ball is there ..HIT THE FUCKING THING ....

Wholeheartedly agree. There were so many times where he looked like he was trying to "place" the ball into the net. And I was screaming internally, "Just kick the damn thing!"

[Guest justin_3d]

At the moment Torres is the biggest flop in history.

But i think that might change with AVB!

[HRiver 1,512]

It's not up to AVB, it's all up to him. AVB might boost his confidence - which I hope he does, but it's all up to Torres whether he'll shine or flop next season. He has to train, he has to perform.

[Kostas 1,468]

The only thing I'm worried about is his (lack of) pace as it was a huge part of his game, realistically he simply can hardly have such a horrible patch again and hopefully the same goes for Chelsea. Zolayes already mentioned the critical factor of confidence which can make a huge difference on its own and we shouldn't forget that this summer he had the biggest brake of his career since coming to England.

The truth is most Chelsea fans wouldn't make such a big case out of it if Sheva never happened. Biggest flop in history? PPlleeaassee...

[LDN Blue 7,903]

The truth is most Chelsea fans wouldn't make such a big case out of it if Sheva never happened.

So true.. So very true.

It doesn't really help that there's a constant media spotlight on him because of that Sheva fiasco as well. It really means any big money transfers we make will be judged by the parameters of Shevchenko.

[warnie_666 1,081]

Obviously, one bitten twice shy and all that

[teignman 441]

I must admit that I was excited, but a bit leery of the Torres signing. Leery mainly because of the £50m price tag and his fitness. However, I don't believe that this is the sad final chapter of a once world class striker. There were several things that I thought explained his goal scoring, or lack thereof, record with us. First, I'll just come out and say it: he was unlucky. Second, as others have touched on, he was coming off a world cup year and was not full fit. Next, he was facing immense pressure after his transfer. Even a confident, highly skilled footballer like Torres is not immune to the immense pressures of such a massive transfer. He had to adjust to a new team that was struggling at the time and a manager that was unsure how to use him. Finally, I think the service was simply not there for him. Torres, like many top strikers, needs creative play behind him in order to succeed. I am confident that AVB can rekindle the raging inferno of goals that is Fernando Torres. However, we must upgrade the creativity and pace of our squad via promotion/inclusion of our youth and purchasing several new players.

[Naked Mole Rat 437]

I must admit that I was excited, but a bit leery of the Torres signing. Leery mainly because of the £50m price tag and his fitness. However, I don't believe that this is the sad final chapter of a once world class striker. There were several things that I thought explained his goal scoring, or lack thereof, record with us. First, I'll just come out and say it: he was unlucky. Second, as others have touched on, he was coming off a world cup year and was not full fit. Next, he was facing immense pressure after his transfer. Even a confident, highly skilled footballer like Torres is not immune to the immense pressures of such a massive transfer. He had to adjust to a new team that was struggling at the time and a manager that was unsure how to use him. Finally, I think the service was simply not there for him. Torres, like many top strikers, needs creative play behind him in order to succeed. I am confident that AVB can rekindle the raging inferno of goals that is Fernando Torres. However, we must upgrade the creativity and pace of our squad via promotion/inclusion of our youth and purchasing several new players.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

you have hit the key word CONFIDENCE ,,,its what all players but especially strikers need and thrive on . It is however a fragile thing. In all sports

even the greatest can lose it and perform like novices .. In his first game for us against Liverpool he had a great chance in the opening minutes.

Nine times out of 10 he would have buried it. He could even have given Drogba a tap in but his strikers instinct made him try himself. From the

firrst miss the confidence seemed to drain from him . His touch got worse his reactions slower allowing defenders to get back and close him down

or block his shots . Lack of confidence causes players to doubt their instincts and talent .. They THINK TOO MUCH about what they should do

instead of trusting their instincts Torres still made great runs and took up good positions but the slowing down through doubts caused missed

opportunities .. It happens in ALL sports and even to the greatest ..

The solution : in individual sports he will go to his coach or a sports pyschologist .

The advice I would give Torres ..... DONT THINK ....if the ball is there ..HIT THE FUCKING THING ....

(perhaps the opposite advice would be useful to Kalou)

I have confidence that Torres will deliver this season.. KTF in Chelsea and Fernando

:goodpost: Absolutely spot on boss, as usual. Couldn't put it any better myself.