Fernando Torres

[TomCFC 357]

Fifteen games, only a full 90 minutes.

[dodojojo 510]

It was obvious Ancelotti subbed Torres for tactical reasons since he wanted to go back to a 4-3-3 with Drogba in the middle. Torres had to go. Feel bad for Nando as it's clear to me that the FT-DD doesn't work but each time it fails he's taken off early, blamed if the team isn't winning, etc. Well, it's obvious that he and the team are playing an uncomfortable game. I still don't see him and DD playing with any recognition of each other .

Individually, I thought he was fine yesterday except for getting into the final scoring position or receiving that final killer pass. Well that's not all his fault. He did make some great passes early on. If SOME changes aren't made next season, it's going to be the same story. That's not good news for Chelsea and it's not good for Torres.

[ElNinoSemper 18]

It was obvious Ancelotti subbed Torres for tactical reasons since he wanted to go back to a 4-3-3 with Drogba in the middle. Torres had to go. Feel bad for Nando as it's clear to me that the FT-DD doesn't work but each time it fails he's taken off early, blamed if the team isn't winning, etc. Well, it's obvious that he and the team are playing an uncomfortable game. I still don't see him and DD playing with any recognition of each other .

Individually, I thought he was fine yesterday except for getting into the final scoring position or receiving that final killer pass. Well that's not all his fault. He did make some great passes early on. If SOME changes aren't made next season, it's going to be the same story. That's not good news for Chelsea and it's not good for Torres.

Didn't get to see the match yesterday but this worries me. There most certainly will be changes to the team over the summer but all the transfer rumours suggest we're focused on even more strikers. Not the answer to our problems surely. I honestly don't know if the Torres/Drogba partnership can ever work and I'm not sure a pre-season should be spent/wasted trying to find out if it can.

[termninja 5,290]

There is one thing I don't like about his game and that is seeing him receive the ball on the flanks and then trying to do something. He'll come out good, but I'd rather see Drogba in our attack at the moment with Torres as a super sub.

[DYC. 7,542]

I thought he played well yesterday and all this about the 4-4-2 not working was bollocks because we were excellent in the first half hour and the only reason we were losing was due to a long range strike (that Cech shoulda saved) and a bit of bad luck with hitting the bar. We dominated them and Torres' movement was really good.

You're excellent when you create a lot of chances, which is what we didn't. We dominated in terms of possession but possession means nothing if you hardly create anything. We were far more incisive when we switched to 4-3-3.

And I keep reading people say we played 4-4-2 but we didn't. We played the 4-3-2-1 formation (4-2-1-2-1 to be more precise).

[LDN Blue 7,903]

And I keep reading people say we played 4-4-2 but we didn't. We played the 4-3-2-1 formation (4-2-1-2-1 to be more precise).

Noticed it too! Seemed like Mikel & Essien were deployed as 2 holding players while Malouda & Drogba played just behind Torres

[Tortilla9 390]

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?

[DYC. 7,542]

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?

Didn't get that too. He's useless out wide so he should really stop doing that (or if CA's telling him to do that, he should stop doing that).

Him dropping deep might have to do with position switching.

[Madmax 9,219]

Didn't get that too. He's useless out wide so he should really stop doing that (or if CA's telling him to do that, he should stop doing that).

Him dropping deep might have to do with position switching.

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.

[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 21,751]

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?