Sports Desk Blog | Have we already seen the best of Fernando Torres?: Darren NorrisHave we already seen the best of Fernando Torres?A new season represents a new start and Fernando Torres will be hoping the nine months ahead can sweep away the misery of his last two seasons. It’s a season-defining campaign for a man who has scored just once since his £50m from Liverpool to Chelsea. Torres’ woeful form has seen him dismissed as £50m flop and while such a judgment is premature his stuttering form must be a concern for new boss Andre Villas-Boas. What will concern Villas-Boas is the fact that Torres’ decline did not begin since his move to Chelsea. In fact its two years since Torres has been seen at his scintillating best. He cut a forlorn figure in the first half of last season at Liverpool. His confidence appeared to be shot and his attitude and work-rate was questioned. Roy Hodgson was blamed in some quarters for Torres’ struggles, with the Englishman’s critics claiming he couldn’t motivate his star player. But given Torres’ poor form at Stamford Bridge that criticism of Hodgson now looks ill-judged. The truth is Torres’ problems go further back than Hodgson’s arrival for his ill-fated stay at Anfield. The sluggishness he showed in the Premier League last season was apparent in the World Cup last year. Nobody could have questioned Torres’ workrate at South Africa but he was devoid of confidence, failed to score in the tournament and only came on as a substitute in the final against the Netherlands. Spain may have won the competition but for Torres personally the World Cup was a frustrating experience. The tournament came on the back of an injury-ravaged season at Anfield where Torres made just 22 Premier League appearances. Those injuries appear to have taken their toll. Torres doesn’t quite seem to have the explosive pace that made him the Premier League’s best finisher. At 27 he should be at his peak. Instead the question is are his best days behind him. Stamford Bridge has been a graveyard for many strikers in recent years. Andrey Shevchenko, Hernan Crespo and Adrian Mutu were big-money flops. Is Torres simply the latest? Perhaps, but Torres is younger than Shevchenko and Crespo were when they arrived at the Blues while Mutu’s off the field issues wrecked his career. It should be possible for Torres to adjust to Chelsea’s style, to rediscover his confidence and re-ignite his career. Chelsea’s hopes of toppling United could depend on Torres doing just that. Whether he ever scales the heights he did at Anfield is far less certain. The next nine months could well decide how the Spaniard is remembered.Tomorrow: Who will finish in the top four? - See More
Fernando Torres El Nino รข€" The Perfect Striker?: Fernando Torres has become one of the most respected of the foreign players earning their living in the English Premier League. ever since his transfer from Atletico de Madrid in the summer of 2007, El Nino, as he was dubbed early on his career, has impressed English football fans not only with his goalscoring abilities, ... - See More
Fernando Torres of Chelsea suffers concussion in Spain defeat by ...: By John Toher Published: 6th August 2011 Fernando Torres is back at it again. Six months after leaving Liverpool in a wave of acrimony, the beleagured Chelsea striker persists in sticking the knife in on his old team. “Liverpool's future isn't looking Fernando Torres is a Spanish footballer who currently plays for Premier League side ... - See More
Chelsea news Fernando Torres off with concussion after 14 minutes ...: Chelsea striker off after just 14 minutes with concussion - See More
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