New Owners, same old story - What now for Fernando Torres? (Part 1)
Fernando José Torres Sanz or simply Fernando Torres is as big a football star as they come. Blessed with exquisite technique and blistering pace, the player has ‘wowed’ the crowds wherever he has played, that is until his recent form took over.
For a player who scored 56 goals in just 78 league appearances, Torres' form this season has been inexplicable. On the 11th of August 2007, Fernando Torres made his debut for the Anfield club. With a burgeoning reputation preceding him and donning
the number 9 jersey of club legend Robbie Fowler, Torres was set to become a fan favourite.
Torres more than justified his hefty price tag of 23 million pounds with his sublime performances. In his first season, El Nino set the English Premier League record for being the most prolific foreign goal scorer in his debut season. The player terrorised
even the best of defences on peak form, even a title winning Nemanja Vidic would bear testimony to that fact.
Torres’ fairytale start to his English adventure looked set to continue until injuries took over. In 2009/10 season, Torres featured only in 22 games. Although the Spaniard scored an astounding 18 goals, it wasn’t enough to win Liverpool a Champions League
spot. It is no secret that Fernando Torres left his Child hood club of Atletico Madrid to further his career, to win a competition that Liverpool had just failed to qualify. This clearly did not go down to well with the forward.
For the past couple of years, Torres and Steven Gerrard have been the heart and soul of the proud Anfield club. The pair had struck a telepathic understanding and their interplay was simply a joy to behold. Liverpool’s start to the season however is in stark
difference. Torres has gone from being a superstar to a striker the opposition defence relishes playing against. The player has lost his pace, his movement and most worryingly, his hunger to succeed at all.
People who thought a change of ownership might propel the season back on track were woefully off track. The Torres who took to the field against Everton on Sunday was a far cry from the player who took Premier League by storm just a few years back. His confidence
is on an all time low now, every time he received the ball against Everton, he looked to pass it backwards. That is certainly not the Fernando Torres we all know. With Every passing match, he looks worse, the player loses a little bit of more confidence and
the issues continue to mount.
Torres is understandably downhearted upon failure to feature in the Champions League. A player of his calibre deserves better. However having said that, A champion like El Nino should take the club by the scruff of its neck and take Liverpool out of the
mess it is currently plying in. The striker might not be getting the appropriate service but so was Ibrahimovic when he won Inter Milan consecutive titles. That is the hallmark of true Champions. In all honesty, Torres attitude is a disgrace to the club and
fans who have given their all for his happiness. Even now, with Torres lost on the pitch like Alice in wonderland, ‘The Kop’ continue to chant. Hoping against hope their golden boy rediscovers his form. But here hasn’t been any indication from the Spaniard’s
side.
Jamie Carragher; a player who is sure to become a manager one day, has come out in the press recently to voice his concerns over the club’s future, “We have changed the manager, we have changed the board and if things don't change now then the players will
go too” . It doesn’t take a genius to guess that Torres wants an exit. He knows only very well he has plenty of suitors across the continent drooling over his signature.
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