Bench Torres for the rest of the season...

[Henri 115]

or at least don`t let him start in for the rest of the season. Don`t get me wrong i like Torres, he is or was one of the best strikers to set foot on this

planet. But how stupid does Abramovich/Carlo think Drogba and Anelka or even Malouda are?. Look at them play and the answer is clear, they know

that Nando is the future and they are the past, and how would you have reacted?. I blame Abramovich for not waiting for the summer break to buy Torres,

out of respect for them. Together Drogba and Anelka can perform at least some times, but they will never connect with Torres. So why keep on frustrating

him and them until the end of the season?, because he won`t score before you build a team up around him. This story tells a lot why often january transfer

ain`t no good.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Abramovich would never allow this to happen..

[HRiver 1,512]

I am failing to understand all this. First, fans ask from Roman to spend on transfers, yet they blame him for not spending money when they wanted him to, and they like to determine the time when he spends on players, ridiculous.

Torres is what we needed during our crisis, and the club still is in crisis. It's not just Torres, how many of our players have been performing well, or how many have our other strikers scored since Torres joined? It's not Torres' fault. When he plays poor, it's because he gets no service at all, when he gets service, he hits it as well as he can but he's just unlucky because goalkeepers save his scoring attempts, sometimes it's just not meant to be.

Benching him for the rest of the season would be the worst ever decision made by Carlo, it would give us as a club and Torres a negative reputation and Pool fans and co. would be enjoying it to the maximum. He will bloody score at Old Trafford, and I fucking mean it.

[Hysteria 159]

Torres didnt have many opportunities to score...our midfield isnt in good shape now, we need to have patience.

[Madmax 9,219]

[eldo 868]

He has to play.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Abramovich would never allow this to happen..

End of story.

[Tortilla9 390]

I'm a huge Torres fan and I kinda see where you're coming from but...... It's one thing not to start him, another to completely bench him. I don't care what the scouse brigade or the red-leaning media think or say. There's not an original thought anywhere in that group.

Torres at 27 and a 5.5 year contract IS the Chelsea future whether Drogba, Anelka, and/or Malouda like it or not. It is what it is. Roman has spoken and paid. Torres needs to perform and being benched for the next two months does absolutely nothing for him or the team.

Following Torres, this is the longest goalless streak of his career. I watch him and feel like I'm getting my tooth pulled without the anesthesia. Something just isn't clicking right now. If the entire pitch was an open net except a small section, that's where he would hit right now. The only luck he has on the pitch right now is bad luck. I'm still a #9 believer and believe he will score lots of goals for Chelsea. I hope its one or two this season. I'm willing to get a bucket of chicken and sacrifice it (see "Major League") if that will help.

[Tomo 21,681]

If Drogba, Anelka and Malouda's excuse for not playing properly is because they believe Torres is the future and there the past then to be quite frank they need to grow a pair.

Giggs at Utd is the past more than he is the future but do you see him refusing to play with Nani and Valencia because they have a bigger future role in the team than him? no, there on thousands of pounds of week and if they didnt play like full up well fed internatinal superstars during the winter months the chances are Torres would not have been signed till the summer at the earliest.

Who cares who is more of the future right now the've got just as much as a important part as each other and its about time they put there difference's aside and played like the class players they know they are.

[Tortilla9 390]

Am I the minority that think Anelka and Torres seem to play together better than Torres and Drogba? TBH I don't see the problem so much with Anelka and Torres.

[Madmax 9,219]

Am I the minority that think Anelka and Torres seem to play together better than Torres and Drogba? TBH I don't see the problem so much with Anelka and Torres.

Anelka-Torres is the best forward partnership at our club IMO.

[dodojojo 510]

Any combo that's NOT Drogba or Torres is better than the two of them together. I think this is the issue and it's one that may be putting people's noses out of joint. Chelsea have moved away from a 4-3-3 in order to play 4-4-2 with Drogba and Torres. Or to play Torres at all.

Ancelotti is in a tough spot because leaving either out, especially for the big games, brings him grief. That and maybe he really believes having the both of them on is better than only having one?

I think it's time to accept that just because on paper Drogba and Torres look good together doesn't mean that's what is transpiring on the pitch. I understand Henri's sentiment. A part of me feels the same way and I want throw my hands in the air and just say, "Screw it, there are only a few games left, give in to what is "natural" and the old order and play whatever will make the majority of the players happy." And if they're happy, maybe they'll produce. And that may mean Torres on the bench.

It'll be a pyrrhic victory for the old guard because no matter what happens, Abramovich isn't going to change his mind; selling Nando in the summer, persisting with players in their 30's and not buy younger talent, is he? And if he does, I fear for Chelsea FC.

Of course all of this is predicated on speculation that there is unrest due to Torres' inclusion in the starting formation. Who knows, maybe everyone is happy and dandy with it....

[TrueChelseaBlue 105]

Anelka-Torres is the best forward partnership at our club IMO.

From what weve seen, yes... but saying that, Drogba hasnt had 'too many' chances playing up front with Torres to be fair... so wouldn't really be right to judge him.

[Kojo 4,676]

LDN Blue pretty much summed that up, but either way i'm against benching him for the rest of the season, it would give him no confidence at all, and what good would it do putting him on the bench?, is that exactly going to get him better for next season?, he needs to play. However on a schedule, we got to take advantage of this, we have two world class strikers right?, why not play Torres against wigan?, then Drogba against Man United?. The perfect thing to do for Wigan is definitely to put Torres up on his own, with Benayoun behind him, i think that would be perfect. Rest some players for United, lets try and make a hard game for Wigan still but at the same time focus on United, some tight fixtures, but it's still not different for United either. I just can't believe United actually beat us with just Michael Carrick and no Scholes... like how?. Anyway if Torres can't score against Wigan with good assistance then i really do not know.

[Steve 10,227]

[Tortilla9 390]

Anyway if Torres can't score against Wigan with good assistance then i really do not know.

I think this is key not just for Torres but any forward on Chelsea.

[pachman40 357]

Completely disagree. We have to look out for the best for the team and that means Torres in form. He will never regain his form on the bench period. That being said, he should not be an automatic starter but for the rest of the season he start in tactically advantageous situations depending on the opponent and also start on the bench and come on as a sub when the opponent dictates based on their strengths. Instead of trying to ram Torres or Drogba down people's throats we must use their individual strengths to our advantage.

[Term-X 7,891]

Abramovich would never allow this to happen..

'Roman's intelligent. He'd never ask me to pick a certain player'

__Carlo

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/09/carlo-ancelotti-fernando-torres-chelsea?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Ffootball%2Frss+%28Football%29