As they say, “Don’t mistake
my kindness for weakness. I am
kind to everyone, but when
someone is unkind to me, weak is
not what are you going to
remember about me.”
This should be the attitude of
Fernando Torres (in my view)
against people unkind towards
him.
Fernando Torres started his career
at Atletico Madrid. Blessed with a
lot of pace and good technique,
Torres made quick progress in the
Atletico first team and at the same
time, did well for Spain at the
U-16 and U-17 level. With his
impressive performances at the
Madrid club, Chelsea owner
Roman Abramovich planned to
land Torres at Stamford Bridge
when he was just 19 but Atletico
Madrid rejected that bid and
Torres was named captain of the
club that season. Improved
performances every season
ensured Torres a great future for
both club and country. Torres
always had a chance to join
Chelsea FC but instead he choose
Liverpool and Premier League was
hit by a storm named El Nino .
At Liverpool, he played under
Rafael Benitez and soon became a
fan favourite at Anfield with his
impressive performances against
top teams. With the likes of
Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso in
the midfield, Torres started to get
what he wanted and soon started
scoring regularly for Liverpool.
Both Gerrard and Alonso are
considered masters of playing
through balls and longs ball in
front of the opponents’ box which
led to goals galore for Torres. He
scored more than 30 goals for
Liverpool in his first season. In
the following season, with a
hamstring and an ankle injury,
Torres’ pace reduced but he
scored 22 goals for Liverpool in
2009-10.
Torres won the Euro 2008 with
the national team, scoring the
only goal in the finals and also
won the trophy that every
footballer dreams of, the World
Cup. He won a lot of honours
individually as well but was never
able to win a trophy at club level.
With no trophies for almost a
decade and Liverpool failing to
secure a place in Champions
League football, he decided to
leave Liverpool for Chelsea and
joined the latter on the deadline
day of the 2011 January transfer
window for a record fee
(rumoured £50 million). His move
to Chelsea FC was a dramatic move
but at the same time,
heartbreaking for many at
Liverpool. Torres’ form dipped at
Chelsea and soon he lost the
confidence which was a key aspect
of his game throughout his career.
Torres had barren runs at Chelsea
in front of goal and he missed a
lot of opportunities. The style of
play at Chelsea doesn’t suit the
way Torres played his game and
without any partner upfront, it
was difficult for him to get back in
top form. He showed glimpses of
his genius at regular intervals but
there was no consistency. Torres
had his worst performances at
Chelsea but still he had the
support of his team-mates, the
owner and most importantly, the
fans. Torres although never scored
regularly but used to get the all
important assists more often. The
effort that he was putting in at
Chelsea was not enough and he
got dropped from the national
side. But at the end of his first
full season at Chelsea, Torres won
the FA cup and the holy grail, the
Champions League trophy which
was won by a corner earned by
Torres.
Eventually he got a call in the
national team and he won the
Euro 2012 with Spain defeating
Italy in the finals and became the
top scorer of the tournament with
a goal in the finals and won the
Golden Boot award. He became
the only player to have scored in
back to back Euro finals. Although
Torres is still far form his best, he
has won almost all the trophies a
footballer dreams of winning.
Tactically speaking, I don’t
consider Chelsea as the reason of
his failure and would rather say
that it’s just poor timing and
maybe luck. Torres once said that
the Chelsea midfield is slow and
the owner almost changed the
entire midfield for him.
Personally, I have watched all the
games since Torres came to
Chelsea (I used to watch all the
games before his arrival as well)
and I feel sometimes he makes
poor runs but at the same time,
there is no one to check his good
runs too. Torres has not done
good in one on one situations
either and we cannot blame
Chelsea for the same. Torres
scored winners in his recent
games for Chelsea and we can
hope he comes back to his best.
But whatever happens, at the end
of the day, Torres will always be
loved by the fans and the
teammates at Chelsea no matter
what. I wish him a very Happy
Birthday from all the Chelsea fans
and hope you come back to your
devastating best. Till then, go El
Nino !
No comments:
Post a Comment