Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti backs under-fire striker Fernando Torres
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has backed under-fire striker Fernando Torres to end his goal drought despite failing to find the net in their recent defeat against Manchester United in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti opted to start with Fernando Torres against Manchester United hoping that the Spanish striker will open his account for Chelsea. Moreover, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Didier-Drogba-c11044 was substituted ahead of Torres even though the Ivorian skipper was having a better game
than the Spaniard.
Ancelotti said, “We have to have confidence. He (Torres) has to have confidence and keep going and he'll score. I wanted to play differently. Drogba worked very hard in this game after playing 90 minutes on Saturday, so for this reason I kept Torres on the
pitch.”
Chelsea signed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fernando-Torres-c13707 for £50 million from Liverpool on the deadline day of the January 2011 transfer window. However, the Spanish striker has so far failed to live up to expectations of the Stamford Bridge faithful. ‘El Nino’, who has scored 81
goals in 142 matches for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809, is yet to open his account for the Blues.
Fernando Torres started the match against Manchester United and came close to scoring the goal but Edwin van der Sar’s diving effort prevented the Spaniard’s first goal. Wayne Rooney’s first half strike proved to be the only goal of the night as Chelsea
suffered their first defeat at Stamford Bridge against Manchester United since 2002.
One of the most noted moments of the match was when Manchester United left-back http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 players, the match referee let the play go on in favour
of Manchester United.
Ancelotti has expressed his disappointment after his side was not awarded a clear cut penalty and he was not at all happy with the match official.
Ancelotti said, “Everyone knows it was clear. The problem is I know it's sometimes not easy to give the penalty in the last minute and you need to have personality, courage and character. I'm disappointed but this is the result.”
The second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final between Manchester and Chelsea will be played at Old Trafford on 12 April, 2011.
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