Hodgson pays tribute to Torres
New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has paid tribute to Fernando Torres after the striker's decision to stay at the Merseyside club.
Torres had been linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer because of the club's poor league finish last season and the fact that former boss Rafa Benitez had also walked through the exit door.
However, Torres has since said that he has no intention of going to any other club and Hodgson has come out to sing his praises. The manager is going to find it tricky to build a team around Torres and Steven Gerrard this season as so many other clubs have now found a way to play against Liverpool.
Hodgson could use Torres in a number of different ways this year and is quite right to compliment the striker's abilities. It's also very refreshing to see a player show some loyalty to a club when the chance was there to walk away.
Relationship and role
The relationship between manager and striker seems to be very good considering the pair have never worked together before. There is no reason at all why Hodgson should do anything other than allow Torres to play in a free role in attack.
This is where he has been most effective during his time at Liverpool and it will give him the best chance of improving on the 56 goals that he has already scored at the club.
If Hodgson tells Torres to play in a specific way or in a specific role then he risks alienating the striker, which would contradict all of the positive feeling that has now been built up between all parties.
Hodgson said: "I have to say that ever since I took the job, that in my discussion with (managing director) Christian Purslow, he told me he was always confident that Fernando would stay. He told me there's nothing to worry about, that there is a lot of speculation, but that he'll play for Liverpool next season - so we don't need to worry."
Refreshing comments
It is very positive and refreshing to see a player come out and declare his loyalty to a club. This does not always happen because players are constantly seeking out the best move for themselves.
Torres has given Liverpool the chance to start preparing a plan and a chance to start building an attack to be very effective in the Premier League. This is important because the club can now hit the ground running and leave Torres to score all of the goals.
Hodgson added: "He has only been back a couple of days and he needs to do a lot of work to make certain he recovers from his holiday of three weeks and also, of course, the injury he picked up towards the end of the World Cup."
Betting advice
Torres has been very effective so far in the Premier League and he is a very good outside bet to be top scorer by the end of the season. He will be odds on to be top scorer at Liverpool now he has declared his intentions to stay.
Liverpool will find it very difficult to push for the title this season. Torres is one of the very few world-class players the club do have but it cannot be left down to him to carry the team for an entire season. Their best bet for a trophy will come in the English domestic cup competitions or the Europa League.
If you prefer to be cautious then wait until they have started the season and take things from there.
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