Fernando Torres

[dodojojo 510]

I may have a little sun damage from being outside most of the day watching youth football. If it was a 1 up top with Torres why did it seem he was playing so wide and deep at times? Is that him not understanding his role or Carlo directing him where to be?

Yeah, something was off because Torres' best contribution was the passes he was making to Lampard, Cole and Malouda. I can't remember him getting a pass when he was in the box (in the run of play, he did get a header off Drogba from a corner). Can anyone?

And Shon, I understand your frustration but he's a striker, an offensive player, not a water carrier and he has said in the past, that he's okay with trying something tricky and failing if it means succeeding a few times in a game and that magic moment can be a goal. I woudn't want the centerback having the same mentality but there should always be one or two players on the team who think this way. Or else football would be very boring and your team may as well be Stoke.

[Tortilla9 390]

It's just Carlo with his usual penchant for rotation among the front 3.

Torres should be asked to stay central and run onto slide rule passes from the midfield, it's what he's best at.

Dammit! Why isn't Carlo asking us what Torres is best at. We all know.

I'm all for no Torres and Drogba together the rest of the season. Start Drogba and let Torres come on as a super sub. I'd rather see Torres and Anelka together. Anelka may be a little slow with the final pass but he and Torres seem to have some understanding with each other. The same understanding that is MIA with Torres and Drogba. Just my two cents.

[dodojojo 510]

It's just Carlo with his usual penchant for rotation among the front 3.

Torres should be asked to stay central and run onto slide rule passes from the midfield, it's what he's best at.

I bet you Torres would love to oblige but where are those slide rule passes? Haven't seen too many of them since Torres' arrival. And then he gets slated for doing "nothing."

[Tomo 21,733]

This is our league record in games Torres has played since joined the club

WON 8

DREW 2

LOST 1

Would you prefer he scored 7 and we won 5 of those games instead, it was doing that at Liverpool that was part of the reason he left.

[Madmax 9,219]

I bet you Torres would love to oblige but where are those slide rule passes? Haven't seen too many of them since Torres' arrival. And then he gets slated for doing "nothing."

That's the thing isn't it ... it'll take time for him to develop the sort of understanding with the midfield that he had back at Liverpool with Gerrard for example. Yossi would have been handy had he been available but he's been injured most of the season. Anelka did exactly what I mentioned in that WHU game and bang - it happens. No coincidence there.

I was quite happy with Torres yesterday. You could see he was working very hard for the team and even could have troubled Gomez in the first half when he had possession just outside the box but couldn't get the ball out from his feet. Think he was sacrificed for Kalou because Carlo wanted Drogba central in the 433.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

How many times did we score (in those games) when he wasn't on the pitch?

[maber23 9]

I love that boy and I do since years ago when he was with us in the ATLETICO .. I suffer when things go wrong and I'm happy when things go well ..

I'm happy for him and for the love that you give that roar in the stands with the ball (touched me the truth) I'm sure it was a great motivation to keep pushing for improvement.

Nothing would please me more than you they won the league with a goal of towers ... ahhh if it satisfies me think it would be able to go to bathe at the first source to find lol

Not if there is understood what I want to say my Englishman is horrible(sorry) and I am using translator online xd .....swear to learn for the next year.

[dodojojo 510]

No worries, Maber. Your post makes sense to me...but that's probably because I understand Torresism.

He's had a rough start but his new team is doing really well and has a chance at the league title. This is why he made such a big move and hopefully he will be successful this year and for many years to come for Chelsea. I'm crossing my fingers that he will one day return to Atletico with plenty of medals.

By the way, the translator changed Torres to towers

[B.Jen <3 23]

hope he gets a hair cut next season..blonde equals goals!

[Ollie 4,400]

I just wish he'd get some confidence back and some belief about how good he is. He gets the ball n looks nervous and subdued

[Sparkie 27]

Confidence means so much in football - Torres just lacking it at the moment. Give him a full 90 next week, mix things up, see how he goes. Nothing to lose, really.

[Ollie 4,400]

Nothing to lose at all. Guaranteed UCL, can't win the league... Try some new things for 2 matches.

Cech

Bosingwa - Wing Back

Luiz

Terry

Alex

Cole - Wing back

Lampard

Essien

Ramires

Torres

Drogba

Why not, who cares if it messes up

[Tortilla9 390]

Nothing to lose at all. Guaranteed UCL, can't win the league... Try some new things for 2 matches.

Cech

Bosingwa - Wing Back

Luiz

Terry

Alex

Cole - Wing back

Lampard

Essien

Ramires

Torres

Drogba

Why not, who cares if it messes up

Ollie, I respect your Chelsea knowledge but why? I love Torres but when he was brought on today with Drogba still on the pitch I actually cringed. Nothing that happened for those 30 minutes showed me anything positive for either player. Both players marginalized. Why not try something new in the middle because what happened today was painful.

[dodojojo 510]

No amount of preseason training and game time is going to get Torres and Drogba playing together--at their best. For that to happened, one of them has to (truly) accept that they are not going to be the center forward. Who's going to blink first?

Don't care about the starting formation for the next two games. I wouldn't mind seeing a line-up that includes players who can pass and move with Torres alone up top but Ancelotti isn't going to do that so I'm not going to put too much thought into it.

What I do care about is if Chelsea are actually going to move forward this summer and add key players who will play with Torres. And if there will be change in the football style at Chelsea.

[Tortilla9 390]

I think the real question is did Roman spend the money he spent on Torres to have him used as a 15-30 minute sub? I think Roman envisions him as part of the Chelsea future and Torres at his best is the point of the attack.

I think most of us want it to work but it's like square pegs/round holes each and every time Drogba and Torres are together. Either neither player can figure it out or neither player truly wants too. Oh well two more games left and them somebody way above my pay grade will be making some tough decisions.

[Tortilla9 390]

Carlo admits the transition for Torres and the team has been tougher than anybody imagined.

Torres Mid-Season Move

Chelsea tried to get Torres and Luiz last summer, respective clubs said no

Implementing tactical changes to get best out of Torres has been difficult

Position of midfielders needs to be changed and difficult to change mid-season

If you have a chance to buy him, you buy him.

He will have a fantastic career with Chelsea (from Carlo's lips to the soccer God's ears).

[dodojojo 510]

I wished Torres had joined last summer too. Win win for everyone...except for Liverpool perhaps. I would have been spared watching Torres playing striker for Hodgson. Torres would have had time to bed in with Chelsea.

Sigh.

Oh well. Onwards with 2011-12. Hopefully Ancelotti will be very right about Torres being successful for Chelsea.

[dodojojo 510]

It's becoming clearer (and along with Ray Wilkins) that Ancelotti really did want Torres and it wasn't just an Abramovich buy. So can we quit the 'he's the owner's new toy' talk?