Fernando Torres

[Sheva. 5,373]

according to jamiereidUEFA "Wouldn't even stop 4 them tonight. Sometimes players just not in the mood. It's a shame, fans want to hear".

Moody brat. Not like CTV is going to make life hard for him. I seriously don't care as long as he's playing well and scoring goals.

Damn!

[xPetrCechx 13,546]

haha doesn't work, i even tried to do it using that same link.

Different link (credit to TX)

about this picture from russian football website:

Ну просто молодцы! Английские операторы нашли секрет успеха Торреса. Перед самым началом поединка Давид Луис подошёл к испанцу, положил руку на его голову и что-то начал говорить про себя, не открывая глаз. Неужели Давид умеет помимо кривляния журналистов ещё и действовать на действия одноклубников? Интересно!

GOOGLE TRANSLATEL LOL

Well, just great! British operators have found the secret to successTorres. Before the start of the fight, David Louis went to the Spaniard, laid his hand on his head, and something began to talkabout himself, his eyes still closed. Did David know how elsebesides affectation of journalists and to act on the action-mates?Interesting!

[manpe 10,855]

Did Torres get a boner? That pic is just too wrong

[Term-X 7,891]

That journalist with a 1,000+ followers just mentioned me, clearly missed the pun though.

[dodojojo 510]

How many would Torres have if he could, you know, score the sitters?

[dodojojo 510]

I'm not of the religious persuasion myself but I think the moment between Torres and Luiz was indicative of a good dressing room. Religious or not, there's obvious affection and concern for teammates there. I like ribbing Luiz a lot but he does look to be a good guy.

[DoubleO 192]

Fantastic playing by Torres. His first touches were sharp and he was eager to score. And that header.... just wonderful. Well done Fernando!

[Madmax 9,219]

Should have had a perfect hattrick really with that left footer that struck the post.

Nevertheless, really positive performance from him. The work rate, the intelligence, the confidence ... everything. Enjoying his football and it shows in his gait and body language. The fact that we didn't take multiple laborious, contemplative touches on the ball in midfield before throwing a hopeful punt forward helped as well. Not at all surprised to see him come good, it was always gonna happen and now that it has, long may it continue. Bollocks to the 'meh ... it's just Genk' theory too. You could have put the Torres we saw yesterday against any defence in the world and he would have been a real nuisance.

Now that he's on a 4 in 3 streak, all the haters (read : English bog rolls masquerading as newspapers) have gone quiet. Kicking a man when he's down - very easy; eating humble pie - entirely different proposition.

[Blue Armour 4,164]

Should have had a perfect hattrick really with that left footer that struck the post.

Nevertheless, really positive performance from him. The work rate, the intelligence, the confidence ... everything. Enjoying his football and it shows in his gait and body language. The fact that we didn't take multiple laborious, contemplative touches on the ball in midfield before throwing a hopeful punt forward helped as well. Not at all surprised to see him come good, it was always gonna happen and now that it has, long may it continue. Bollocks to the 'meh ... it's just Genk' theory too. You could have put the Torres we saw yesterday against any defence in the world and he would have been a real nuisance.

Now that he's on a 4 in 3 streak, all the haters (read : English bog rolls masquerading as newspapers) have gone quiet. Kicking a man when he's down - very easy; eating humble pie - entirely different proposition.

Yeah I heard he snubbed the news reporters on his exit from the stadium...every right to do so...

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Of course the media will pick up on that snub, but Torres is proving the doubters wrong.

I hope to see him score at Goodison Park

[termninja 5,290]

Took him long enough. I was starting to get worried a bit, but just a bit

[Justin_3d 1,140]

Sending off inspires Torres revival

By: ED

A two-footed tackle by Fernando Torres last month could be the best thing that happened to the Chelsea striker since his so-called decline started two summers ago.

The fresh-looking

Torres was rampant in the 5-0 Champions League win against Genk

last night, coming off the back of a soothing holiday to score twice and generally tear the Belgian side to shreds.

Since their 3-1 defeat to Manchester United, Chelsea have won five out of six matches, scoring 18 goals and conceding four.

The only ‘failure' was a creditable 1-1 Champions League draw at Valencia, with their excellent form cutting the gap to three points on Premier League leaders Manchester City and just one shy of Manchester United.

They are top of a fairly tricky Champions League group too, and most ominous for their rivals is the apparent return to form of Torres, who appears to be reaping the benefit of his enforced spell on the sidelines.

Torres's uncharacteristic dismissal - for a reckless lunge on Mark Gower after he scored the opener in a 4-1 win against Swansea - was followed by a lacklustre performance against Los Che but, crucially, he sat out the next two league games and was benched by Spain for the Scotland match after failing to impress against the Czech Republic.

El Nino's performance before seeing red against the Swans (and, miss aside, the way he played in the 3-1 defeat to Manchester United) hinted that his confidence may be returning in patches, but the extended rest over the past three weeks has given his fatigued body - brain included - the break it sorely needed.

There has been much hand-wringing and chin-stroking since Torres's fall from grace during and after a World Cup which, despite victory, saw him carried by his Spain team-mates.

Given his unimpressive form, Torres's £50 million move to Chelsea the following January was greeted with a level of derision, and the howls became deafening after he netted a solitary goal between then and the end of the season.

Had he lost a yard of pace after some niggling injuries at Liverpool? Was he struggling to handle the pressure of playing for teams that were now expected, and not just tipped, to win things? Was the price tag weighing heavy on his shoulders? Was his confidence so shot after his poor World Cup that the formerly irrepressible goal-getter had become so devoid of composure that even making the decision to shoot was now a brow-furrowing existentialist nightmare?

This season had been little better - he failed to score in his first six matches of the season - and new boss Andre Villas-Boas, clean of the baggage associated with Torres's signing, would have been forgiven for dropping the Madrileno.

There were whispers that Torres was ‘finished' and even the player was publicly asking questions, first about the quality of his team-mates and then about his own happiness following his move to a new club and city.

The national (and international) soul-searching regarding Torres occasionally touched on his physical condition (with, despite evidence to the contrary, fairly outrageous claims that his legs had gone at the age of 27), but most of the analysis concerned his mental state.

But Torres hadn't enjoyed a proper break for over two years. Every time he was injured for Liverpool, he was rushed back, and with good reason given his record of 72 goals in 106 games in his first three seasons at Anfield.

He was also pushed into action ahead of schedule by Spain for the World Cup, and famously flopped, scoring no goals before picking up an injury in the final, an incident which bore the hallmarks of a mercy killing.

While his time at Chelsea has not been punctuated by injuries, the physical and mental exhaustion took its toll - Carlo Ancelotti felt he could not drop Torres given the huge outlay on his services, while this season the talented but inexperienced Villas-Boas has been keen to play him regularly to try and coax good form from the undeniable talent.

Our

Armchair Pundit Alex Chick, aided by theory from former table tennis star Matthew Syed,

summed up Torres's travails more rationally and eloquently than most - yes, his repeated choking was a mental problem, his ability to make snap decisions without thought diminished by a loss of confidence and fitness, but it lay in his poor management by a succession of coaches who either lacked the courage or the tools to give him a rest.

In the end referee Mike Dean made the decision for Villas-Boas, one which has allowed him to take stock, get used to his new surroundings, become accustomed to not being Mr Big Stuff any more and give the limbs a break for reasons other than forcing a quick return from injury.

The three-match ban that followed may be the best thing that has happened to Torres in a number of years - he will skip the Premier League game at Queens Park Rangers, giving him time to recover from his midweek antics, and is likely to be spared the Carling Cup match at Everton.

That should leave him champing at the bit for the home match against Arsenal on October 29. Good luck to them.

----------------------------------------

I love this little part from ED: "That should leave him champing at the bit for the home match against Arsenal on October 29. Good luck to them." LMAO, good one ED!

[Madmax 9,219]

Who's Ed?

[zolayes 14,489]

Who's Ed?

on tv there was a talking horse called Ed

[xPetrCechx 13,546]

I think that torres love too much luiz lol....

[Tomo 21,681]

I don't get why people say he was bad in 2009/2010. Last season was a disaster for him personally but 09/10 he scored 22 in 32, which given the mess Liverpool were in i would say that is a very decent return.

[Justin_3d 1,140]

Who's Ed?

ED knows little of the world outside. Primary interests are training-ground bust-ups, Baby Bentleys and deluded chairmen. It refers to itself in third person.

http://twitter.com/#!/Early_Doors

[Tortilla9 390]

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.co.uk/football/2011/oct/20/chelsea-david-luiz-touching-luck?newsfeed=true