What about Fernando Torres' first year at Chelsea ?

[SeB 1,281]

I just wrote an article about Torres. And saddly it's in French, so you can look at the images or try google traduction

I tried to explain things from the start:

• Poor World Cup because of the lack of rythm after his knee injury and because of fatigue due to 6th summer out of 10 when he played an International tournament, his 6th consecutive season when he played more than 45 games.
  
• A come back at Liverpool when Hodgson tried to obtain recruits without funds and in a bad climate. The bad start of the season, and the lack of other solutions since Keane left just after he signed.
  
• The influence of Arnesen's selfish decision to save his own youth policy in getting out senior players replaced by inexperimented youth. Lack of bench, rotation and poor results ; Chelsea enters into the market to complete his squad in defense and attack.
  
• Why Torres ? Because he has a name and can provide a massive money income as Chelsea want to do like Manure on Asian and American markets, whereas Stamford Bridge's capacity cannot match Chelsea financial requirements
  
• The importance of the energy and form in Torres' play because his play was based on his pace rather than on the intrinsic quality of his controls. The huge amount of games played made of him a "static" striker who did not left his position and only scored goals
  
• The difference between the paper and Chelsea as one of the most difficult team to handle in Europe, and the first half of the season where Lampard was injured, Drogba sick and other players tired. The tactical failing of Chelsea (flanks blocked wherheas full backs are too high, CBs are covering and Mikel alone and highly pressed)
  
• The difference between Liverpool's game plan where he was alone up front and when the team played vertically into space and Chelsea's one where we played a direct style "on the man" and where Drogba magnetize the balls. The fact he still keeps asking the ball into space whereas he asks it in the space
  
• His personal situation, he struggled to find a flat/home, lived in a hotel.
  
• The fact that his amount of goals scored is low but coherent because of the context in which he came in. HIs arrival allowing the switch from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 and the good results coming
  
• The vairiety of the strikers combinations upfront allowed Anelka or Benayoun to play with Torres and they were the 2 who could guive him service and support he was used to
  
• Villas Boas' will for Chelsea to play in a different way, quick and offensive, high team... but the transition phasis because of the importance of the spine and key players (Terry, Cole, Lampard, Drogba). Torres' high motication, good performances but lack of movement and support
  
• The bad results making Villas Boas switching to a more used style of play, based on Drogba as a target by example. Lampard, Mikel, Anelka... suffering at this moment
  
• The new aspects in Torres' play, his abiltiy to play back to goal, and his new ability to give assists. He gave 5 assists in 182 games at Loserpool, 9 in 49 games at Chelsea. His eye for pass we saw during the last weeks
  

Here's the link

http://mypremierleag...torres-chelsea/

[magicrico 175]

He's been dogshit for us. No excuses

[NiclasCFC 2,582]

One word: catastrophic

[DDA 9,985]

Sums it up in these 2 videos to be honest!

Signs to Liverpool from Athletico Madrid for a fee in the region of 20 million pounds!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEDDR9ubKKw

Signs to Chelsea from Liverpool for 50 million pounds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg7ocfIQRm4&feature=related

[manpe 10,861]

lol yeah, I feel kinda embarrassed watching those over-dramatized compilations of Torres in Chelsea, I can't help but get the feeling that the author is being sarcastic and taking the piss. But in all honesty they have very little to put there, so mostly they emphasize fancy graphics and slow build-up to action so that the video wouldn't be 30 secs long, sometimes putting snippets of off-topic things (like trophy lifting which has nothing to do with Torres etc).

A message to all videomaking prodigies here: Please refrain yourselves from making any more "300"-esque Torres videos, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one watching them with my face in my palm and being a bit embarrassed/amused. Instead, we have a legend called "Makelele", who has a shortage of videos in youtube, I suggest you draw your attention to him

[Sheva. 5,373]

Yay! another Torres thread.

[DDA 9,985]

lol yeah, I feel kinda embarrassed watching those over-dramatized compilations of Torres in Chelsea, I can't help but get the feeling that the author is being sarcastic and taking the piss. But in all honesty they have very little to put there, so mostly they emphasize fancy graphics and slow build-up to action so that the video wouldn't be 30 secs long, sometimes putting videos of off-topic things (like trophy lifting which has nothing to do with Torres etc).

lol, Yea exactly my point. The Liverpool video is simply Torres at his Godly best whereas the Chelsea video is full of all that sleepy editing. Looking at Torres in the Chelsea shirt though, i really don't think he has lost that much pace or movement since his Liverpool days. He still making the right runs, it's just his finishing and decision making that leaves a lot to be desired. We all know what that's down to... confidence issues! What we don't know is when or if he will ever get back to just burying that bloody ball in the back of the net!

I won't over dramatize my answer when addressing the question, Torres 'first year at Chelsea'. All i will say is that he has been disappointing!

[Kostas 1,468]

You're not gonna witness much comment on your article with that topic title;-) The man made Sheva look like a bargain.

I like how some of your point focus on his style and how it is possible it's changing rather than his ability, makes for a nice change.

[Laylabelle 9,539]

Been kinda a crap year!! But still scored against West Ham bit downhill the rest of the time!

[The Big Drog 1,110]

Depressing. Really depressing. When we signed him I had such high expectations, it must have been one of my happiest moments as a football fan, that transfer deadline day, I still remember the entire day so clearly, getting all of these updates from friends, checking the Sky Sports website, hearing stories that the deal was off, hearing that it was on ect. When we finally got him it brought an emotion of near euphoria but then he stepped onto the pitch and that euphoria has just dripped away to the point where now, 12 months on, I've gone from euphoric to feeling downright depressed whenever I see him on the pitch in a Chelsea jersey. Depressed at how poorly he plays, depressed that our club wasted so much money on him, depressed for the player himself who must have had such high expectations when he came to Chelsea of finally winning trophies at club level, its become a pretty horrible experience, watching him play, willing him to score, hoping against hope that he will recapture those glory days but knowing deep down that it will never happen, that his best days are behind him and what we are left with is a shadow of the force that powered Spain to Euro 2008 victory.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

Horrible...just Horrible. A first year to forget

[The Big Drog 1,110]

After watching all of his goals for Liverpool I feel even more depressed.

[SeB 1,281]

So I didn't manage to convince anybody

[manpe 10,861]

So I didn't manage to convince anybody

what exactly did you want to convince?

[Blue Armour 4,477]

So I didn't manage to convince anybody

Its too bad that I have to use google translate to read your article in full . However, I really appreciate the thought and effort that went behind this article, as well as behind some of the other posts you've made here.Job well done.

Although I think I got the gist of your article, I still feel its Nando and not your article that needs to convince anyone that things are turning for the better.

[Beirut_Blues 306]

i think our team play is shit compared to what he's used to... with gerrard and alonso he was great.. with us he's part of the build up more than the finishing and that's not his style - although his assists r great.

anyways he'll come good in the end, just like the rest of the team - the full package will work eventually.

[tmessy 139]

i think our team play is shit compared to what he's used to... with gerrard and alonso he was great.. with us he's part of the build up more than the finishing and that's not his style - although his assists r great.

anyways he'll come good in the end, just like the rest of the team - the full package will work eventually.

agree,

things will get better, we need a playmaker...

and i know EVERYONE even I am sick of this BUT he needs service...

he isnt playing BAD, he just isnt scoring, and i know everyone judges strikers on goals, but as long as chelsea is winning i am happy!!!

torres torres torres!

ktbffh

[True_Blue 469]

''He isn't playing bad but he doesn't score''.

Well i guess it's his fucking job to do so,if a striker doesn't score he is not a good striker,it is harsh but it is simple as that.He missed sitters this season,last one was against Norvich.Even a average striker would hit that 9 times out of 10,if he doesn't get his shit together until the summer i don't see them point in keeping him.Get a striker that can actually deliver.

[Naked Mole Rat 437]

I keep seeing arguments about how Torres isn't used to our style of play, but I don't think that's a valid excuse at all. The team shouldn't revolve around Torres, and in fact, it's the player who needs to fit in with the rest of the team. We can't afford to change the whole team so that he can perform better. And quite frankly, even if we brought players like Gerrard, Alonso and Kuyt, he would still be shit. It's not like his ex-teammates had this powerful aura or whatever that guided Torres' shots goalward or that one of his current teammates is a practitioner of dark magic that prevents him from scoring. It's simple: Torres can't score (and plays shit in general) because he is a significantly worse player than he used to be, and I don't think he'll improve much from here.

[Beirut_Blues 306]

I keep seeing arguments about how Torres isn't used to our style of play, but I don't think that's a valid excuse at all. The team shouldn't revolve around Torres, and in fact, it's the player who needs to fit in with the rest of the team. We can't afford to change the whole team so that he can perform better. And quite frankly, even if we brought players like Gerrard, Alonso and Kuyt, he would still be shit. It's not like his ex-teammates had this powerful aura or whatever that guided Torres' shots goalward or that one of his current teammates is a practitioner of dark magic that prevents him from scoring. It's simple: Torres can't score (and plays shit in general) because he is a significantly worse player than he used to be, and I don't think he'll improve much from here.

From what I see he's got better performances than most players in our team... he literally does everything but score - so when his goals arrives he will be the complete player.