Jamie Carragher: Give Torres A Chance
Jamie Carragher, the Liverpool vice-captain revealed that he thought there was nothing wrong with striker Fernando Torres but admitted that for the striker to do better, the rest of the team had to improve as well.
Torres failed to score for the seventh time in the eight appearances he has made this season, the last was against the Dutch side FC Utrecht in the Europa League group stages, which ended 0-0. The recent performances have led fans and critics to wonder about
his form and whether he is still valuable for the club, but Carragher made it clear he fully supported the Spaniard.
The Liverpool forward displayed a spirited performance in Holland but could only scrape some three and a half chances, which show his team’s short comings rather than his own. His notable efforts were all saved or not lethal enough, the first one came off
his weaker left foot and went over the crossbar, the second one was saved at the near post and the third was wasted as his touch was heavier than intended and the ball went out of play.
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson made some tactical errors, which may have very well cost Liverpool the poor result they managed against the side they were predicted to annihilate. Hodgson went ahead with a formation that had only two defensive midfielders; Lucas
Leiva and Christian Poulsen, and Joe Cole and Raul Meireles, who are better centrally, were deployed on either side.
The result? There was very little width and very few through balls for the striker to make use of. Carragher, who has been with the club for over a decade and believes that the Reds need to change their approach to get better results. The defender said that
the tactics had to be modified in European fixtures, but accepted that the rest of the team had to step up their efforts so that Torres could do his job.
He said while talking to reporters, “In Europe, away from home you always want more but we've got a new manager and there have been a lot of changes. I think Fernando had one chance and the keeper made a good save but we are not creating as much as we would
like. But obviously at home to Blackpool we want to create a lot more chances for Fernando.”
He added, “We are not a one-man show. Torres is not always going to get the ball and beat four or five players to score but history shows if we provide him with chances you are looking at getting 25 to 30 goals a season. If you give him chances he will score
goals - at the moment we are not providing enough, but we are only seven or eight games into the season. I don't think there is anything to worry about with Torres. It is up to us to do more to help him.”
Before going into the Europa League fixture, Hodgson said that injuries could no longer be used as an excuse for the strikers inconsistent performances. The 62 year old manager has a task ahead of him, he has to mould his team as such so they provide the
necessary opportunities for the striker. Hodgson took over this summer and is still not certain which players work best with what formation.
His recent 4-4-2 formation has not worked too well, the last two matches ending in draw; Sunderland over the weekend in the English Premier League and Utrecht in midweek. This formation forces Meireles to play out of position and playing Dirk Kuyt as a centre
forward ahead of other superior options has not delivered the required results. This may be a sign that the Englishman needs to change his approach the troubled club.
Hodgson said in a statement, “I know he can do it. Fernando expects and Liverpool expects but it is early in the season and we have got to be patient. There were some good combinations between him and the wide players and Dirk. He worked very hard but he's
still searching for that elusive goal. I think he'll feel it was a good 90-minute workout for him and another step in the right direction.”
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