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Posts Tagged ‘fernando torres’

• Striker says Liverpool fans do not know truth about move
• ‘I was let down and don’t understand why the fans hate me’

Fernando Torres has repeated his attack on Liverpool’s conduct ahead of his transfer to Chelsea 11 months ago, claiming his old club’s fans do not know the truth about the move.

Torres, talking to Spanish TV station Canal+ Liga, claimed Liverpool’s owners had lied to him and broken promises before he completed the £50m move, and said he does not deserve to be a hate figure at Anfield.

Torres said: “The Liverpool fans don’t know the truth about why I signed for Chelsea. The fans don’t even know half of what happened. They don’t know what the people in charge at Liverpool are like – they have a completely different perception of what they are like.

“They made promises that they didn’t keep and I left because I realised I didn’t have time to be part of a project that would take years. I have nothing against the Liverpool fans. I didn’t want to leave Liverpool the way I did but the club lied. I was let down and I don’t understand why the fans hate me.”

Also in the interview Torres said he was confident he could rediscover his form at Chelsea, and prove he still has the quality which helped him score 56 goals in his first three Premier League seasons.

“I am going to try to be very humble and get back into the Chelsea starting line-up,” he added. “My form has not been good but I am world and European champion and I deserve more respect. It’s hard being on the bench but I respect the players who are playing. I’m going to support the team and get back in.

“It’s true that [the Spain head coach] Vicente del Bosque is worried about me and my form for Chelsea. It’s up to me to go back to being the striker I was before. If I go back to how I was a few years ago, I will again play an important role in the Spanish national team.”

Fernando TorresLiverpoolChelseaguardian.co.uk

• Manager concerned by crowd’s tension during home games
• December’s games are key to season, says Portuguese

André Villas-Boas admitted that Chelsea had lost their way at Stamford Bridge and become anxious when they play there, after they slumped to a third home defeat in four matches and were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Liverpool.

The manager was candid in his post‑match assessment, describing the performance as “not good” and admitting that Liverpool were “superior” and worthy winners. Although he urged patience and understanding for Fernando Torres in the wake of the £50m striker’s latest anonymous display, he suggested that Didier Drogba would return in his place for Saturday’s Premier League fixture at Newcastle United.

Villas-Boas also admitted that he and the team faced their do-or-die moment next Tuesday, when they play Valencia in the final Champions League group tie. They need a win or a 0-0 draw to avoid what would be a damaging exit. The match is also at Stamford Bridge.

“Away from home, we’ve been more solid, statistically and as a team,” Villas‑Boas said. “That is a fact. At the moment at home, we’ve just not been good enough. I think we need to get our fans behind us when we play at home. We need to get the emotions right. I know, and you can feel, that Stamford Bridge has become anxious about Chelsea playing at home but we need their full support behind us. That’s the only way you can build the atmosphere to take us through this period.

“The Champions League is a competition which is life and death and this standard won’t be enough. We need to up the tempo and play that game [against Valencia] with the ultimate desire.”

Villas-Boas is pinning his hopes on his players finding form and results during a testing December. If they were to win what he suggested were six-pointers against some of their rivals, they could yet challenge for the Premier League title. He did not have to spell out the consequences of failure, although he did insist that all would not be lost.

“Regarding the Premier League fixtures, for our challenge to be alive, we need to make the most out of the December fixtures,” he said. “You know they include Newcastle, Manchester City and Tottenham. If we do that, we’ll be back on track. It will have a major impact by the end of December. We recovered two points at the weekend. But for us to continue to challenge, we need to make the most of the December fixtures. That is our challenge.

“In the situation we are in, 10 points behind, it can invert what can happen in the Premier League in four months’ time. I’m not a wizard and I won’t say what will happen afterwards can’t have an impact – the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League come into play – and March and April can be as decisive as December. But it’s a fact, given we play the top teams, that we can put our challenge back on track.”

It can be painful to watch Torres on evenings such as this and his impact was measured in the fact that the travelling Liverpool supporters hardly booed him. It was because he hardly touched the ball.

“It must come with confidence and time,” Villas-Boas said. “We believe in him and will continue to pursue his individual form. Our task, as technical staff, is to get the best out of a player so if we don’t do that we’ve failed. He faces tough competition. We’ll go back to 4-3-3 against Newcastle and he’s still going to have to compete. Didier is showing good signs of returning. Fernando has shown that ability before and he can again.”

Carling Cup 2011-12André Villas-BoasChelseaLiverpoolCarling CupDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk

Liverpool seized victory in the 84th minute, and that outcome had often looked likely before the right-back Glen Johnson took a Charlie Adam pass, drove into the area, went past Ashley Cole and shot into the far corner of the net. The hosts had never been secure and, now a dozen points behind the leaders, Manchester City, the Chelsea manager, André Villas-Boas, is under severe pressure.

After all the years of defensive stringency, it is incongruous to witness a Stamford Bridge side that looks so brittle. Mikel John Obi was, for a defensive midfielder, guilty of a crass error in letting himself be dispossessed deep in his own half by Adam. Craig Bellamy and Luis Suárez then combined, before Maxi Rodríguez completed the attack with a composed finish in the 33rd minute.

Kenny Dalglish’s lineup had far more poise and threat. Chelsea scarcely looked as if they could afford to have Fernando Torres on the bench, even if there was some logic to the decision, since he had been called upon as a substitute for Spain during the long trip that took him to Costa Rica last Tuesday.

The forward was not introduced until seven minutes from the end. Chelsea had come close to taking the lead when a Didier Drogba free-kick went into the side netting, but there was scant fluency or control from the side in open play.

Nonetheless, they were level after 55 minutes when Florent Malouda hit the ball towards the far post and the substitute Daniel Sturridge capitalised. Liverpool’s menace receded for a brief period, but the main impression was of the trouble each side had in producing an incisive attack.

The exertions did not compensate for the shortage of expertise, but the great joy Liverpool took from this victory overwhelmed grumbles of that sort.

Premier League 2011-12ChelseaLiverpoolPremier LeagueKevin McCarraguardian.co.uk