Fernando Torres

[Madmax 9,219]

Luiz will carry on touching his teammates for luck. Sources say gesture is a lucky ritual not a prayer. I like how Luiz did whatever it was and I like how Torres stood there and accepted it. Speaks of a positive team relationship.

http://www.guardian....k?newsfeed=true

Yeah, Torres looked calm and determined afterwards.

[Kieran. 6,317]

That was most definitely a prayer.

Does anyone think Torres could get play vs. Everton in the CC?

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Does anyone think Torres could get play vs. Everton in the CC?

I'd like to see Lukaku play Everton instead. We have Arsenal after that, so I'm sure Torres will play that.

[Hysteria 159]

Im so happy for Torres, seems like he is getting back in business .

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I'd like to see Lukaku play Everton instead. We have Arsenal after that, so I'm sure Torres will play that.

No chance, Torres will play in the League Cup so we can unleash the Drog on Arsenal.

[francozola 2,040]

^ AVB has said that he will play youngsters in the League Cup all the way so I think Lukaku will be starting

[Madmax 9,219]

Branislav Ivanovic has hailed Fernando Torres's performance against Genk and claimed that he is one of five world-class forwards at Chelsea, alongside Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Daniel Sturridge.

Ivanovic said: "Fernando's performance was great. He scored twice and I think this is all a result of Fernando's hard work in training. We are happy to have him like this on the pitch."

The 27-year-old Serb denied that Chelsea will miss him on Sunday. "Fernando is great but to be fair we have a really, really strong squad with players like Didier. This season we have five world-class forwards and I hope we will not miss him on Sunday," he said.

"Didier is still putting in great performances. He is doing very well for the team and in Didier, Fernando and Nicolas when he is playing in the centre, they are doing it for the team and we are winning which is very important. The team is doing well at the moment."

Torres's previous goals came at Manchester United, where he subsequently missed a golden opportunity to add a second from close range, and against Swansea City, when he was then sent off. "Yes, Fernando knows the right way and he knows what he has to do on the pitch to be good and I think everyone wants to see him like [tonight] in a lot of games this season," Ivanovic added.

Regarding the meeting with QPR, Chelsea's west London neighbours, the defender added: "We expect a very hard game because it is a very important game for us, for fans, for the clubs. We know how they have been waiting for this a long time [15 years] and they will give everything in this game. But we are ready and looking forward to this."

Ivanovic said Frank Lampard has told his team-mates how big an occasion Sunday will be. "Yes, from a lot of sides, the players who say they expect a very hard game, the fans you meet in the street, from the people from the club, and from a lot of sides. From all these things, we expect a hard game," he said.

Source : The Guardian

[Ollie 4,400]

one of five world-class forwards at Chelsea, alongside Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Daniel Sturridge.

Excuse me?

Anyway on topic, Torres is back to his best for sure but he needs to turn one's and two's into two's and three's but his performance against Genk was truly world class and one full of confidence. It's brilliant to see the real Nando in our colours.

[dodojojo 510]

Going to be debbie downer here and just say Torres has impersonated a good striker so far this season. Nine games (should have been more, dullard!) and I would say he's had two stinkers with Norwich and Sunderland but has since looked good in his last 5 games. He needs to step it one more gear and I'll be comfortable with saying he's back to his best. Plus, he needs to do it over 10-12 games before I'm convinced. After that, I'll be both overjoyed and greatly relieved.

[DONI. 1,291]

He is back

[Shak 22]

He is back

Torres is nearly back to his best.

Scoring 2 goals against a weakened Genk defence will have given him alot of confidence.

Let's see how he goes in the important upcoming fixtures:

Sat Oct 29 Arsenal H

Sat Nov 19 Liverpool H

Sat Dec 3 Newcastle United A

Sat Dec 10 Manchester City H

Tue Dec 20 Tottenham Hotspur A

Mon Dec 26 Fulham H

Sat Dec 31 Aston Villa H

[francozola 2,040]

It feels like (to me) he let all the rubbish in his head from Liverpool go during the summer.. He is much calmer on the pitch this season.

Last season, everytime he'd miss a chance... Just look at his face. And whenever a ball wasn't played to him he'd look pissed off. Couldn't be arsed to chase after anything, close down, etcetc

Think he did a lot of soul searching in the summer. Came back refreshed and as if decided to forget the last season and start anew. Some emotion in him as well! The Man Utd game is the best example. The goal - taunted the Utd fans. Love it! The move where he took the ball past 3 Utd players but was saved - screamed at the heavens and nearly tore his shirt off. And of course THE miss.

He did have a slow start to the season but remember, as a TEAM, those were pretty horrible matches as well. His improved form coincided with OUR improved passing, movement, etc.

And finally, the arrival of Mata and Meireles plus return from injury of Luiz has also helped. It's clear he is very close to them.

It's not that he scored 2 goals against a abysmal Genk. But his body language, touch, control is so so much better compared to last season where he wouldn't even have gotten into my pub team based on those attributes.

[Fulham Broadway 16,838]

He took his time, more than most -but very few players go to a new club, hit the ground running , and are free scoring straight away.

Tip of the day Kids

**When you start a new job, always hold back a bit, it makes you look like youve greatly improved later on **

[Tortilla9 390]

The new boots, the longer/lighter hair, the pre-match blessing from Luiz - all is good.

After doing some in-depth research I've discovered the key to Torres' recent positive form: the short-sleeve shirt.

Torres likes to wears a long-sleeve shirt when playing unless it's really warm. Noticed against Leverkusen he wore a short-sleeve shirt. 2 assists. Short-sleeve shirt against United (1 goal), against Swansea (1 goal), against Valencia (no goals but he played well and Alves had one of those games), against Genk (2 goals). Heard it was cold at SB against Genk but still wore the short-sleeve shirt.

The combination of new boots, longer/lighter hair/hairband, pre-game blessing, AND short-sleeve shirt = positive Torres

[dodojojo 510]

Don't forget the white bandage on his left wrist. He had a minor injury with Spain over a month ago. If he keeps his form, wanna bet we'll see that white bandage in May?

Maybe he's got a whole new set of rituals now that he's at Chelsea. I've noticed the changes too. Aside from the switch to short sleeves, he's no longer coming out of the tunnel 3rd in line. For Spain and Liverpool, he would always make sure to be 3rd behind Casillas/Ramos and Gerrard/Carragher. He had claimed he was no longer as superstitious as he was while at Atletico but I think he just got new ones to replace the old ones. Hopefully he get plenty of new goals to replace the old goals.

[Tortilla9 390]

Fernando Torres At Esquire Espana:

We Spanish players have taken a step forward. It’s evident that we weren’t afraid to go abroad. Real Madrid and Barcelona have also placed their bets on national players, which helps a lot. Now the national team draws not only on players from the Liga BBVA, but also from the Premier. The team has acquired another dimension. If you manage to have a good number of players who know the football of different countries, the richness, variety and competitiveness of the team multiplies.

Everything began with Luis Aragonés. As the national team coach, he was the one who was brave enough to call up los pequeños, to play them together, to conform to a style. It functioned and from that time on, Spain has had a style, something that it never had before. People always talk about la furia and la pelea. But now Spain is something else. It’s a team that wants the ball, that plays well and beautifully, and it shows that’s how it wins. My goal in Vienna? That was only one step on a long road of successes.

The most expensive Spanish footballer? That’s just a number. The only thing I know is that opportunities such as the one Chelsea offered me cannot be turned down. The important thing is the confidence they have in me. Liverpool was going down a strange path. Personally, I believe the departure of Xabi Alonso to Madrid was a clear message that something was changing. I have the ambition to improve and Chelsea could offer me what every footballer desires: titles.

My childhood idol was always Kiko. When I debuted with Atlético’s first team, he was still there. We shared a locker room and spent a year together. It was the closest thing to a dream come true for me. From that time on, life has taken us down different roads, but we’re still in contact. I can say that we’re good friends. Un crack.

I’ve passed through three teams throughout my career: Atlético de Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea. What I haven’t changed is my sponsor, Nike. I’ve been with them since I was 14. The relationship started when I played for Atlético’s cadete team, precisely in the 1998 Nike Cup in Italy. The best player of the tournament was given the option to sign a contract and Real Madrid’s Tello and I were chosen. Sadly, he hasn’t had the same luck in his career as I have. One’s destiny in football is always unpredictable.

In England, sports are experienced in a special way. Football is to be enjoyed in detail, and English people are the only ones to to do this. It’s not that they’re better or worse than those in Spain, it’s just different. We have distinct cultures. If we try to apply this philosophy to our country, it probably wouldn’t fit with how we are. It’s a way of watching football, of understanding it and of admiring the players on your team that Spaniards don’t do.

Everything that surrounds football in Spain conditions your way of life. In England, you can live after the training session or the game, enjoy the city where you reside, go to any place, train without cameras, get to your car without anyone stopping you… Here, there are no press conferences or mixed zones. When I was in Madrid and the team lost, people would constantly remind me of it, no matter where I was that week. It’s as if I had to always show that I deserved to wear this escudo. In England, the players that wear the shirt of a club are untouchable for their fans. When they criticize you, when you’re playing badly, when you’re sent off, when you miss an easy goal… that’s when they support you the most. And that’s how you improve. That’s something that we can learn.

Liverpool and Chelsea are completely different clubs. They have no similarity, neither in their past nor in their present. My adaptation process for each has been completely distinct. Chelsea is in London, a huge city. I come from Madrid, also a great European capital, but this is much more of everything, for good and for bad. It’s been difficult for me to adapt here compared to when I arrived in Liverpool, a more comfortable place, smaller, where I was surrounded by Spanish teammates. In the end, the important thing is to try and organize yourself as quickly as possible. That’s what I’m doing… I can’t say that what I’ve achieved is like a dream come true, because I never dreamed of getting this far, or to where I am today. Everything that football has given me has been un extra permanente. I give thanks for that.

[francozola 2,040]

Great interview. How recent is it?

[Tortilla9 390]

Great interview. How recent is it?

November 2011 magazine but he references "the miss" so pretty recent.

http://conlaroja.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/fernando-torres-at-esquire-espana/