TORRES: THIS IS WHY I THINK IT'S GOING WRONG - VIDEOS.
An excellent analysis of the reason Nando is struggling at Chelsea.
I don't have an answer to whether we change for him or let him find a team who will give him service, but it's clear it's a question that needs an answer. [There's probably a better place to discuss it than in this FanShot.]
4 months ago
Kevin Kostka
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Just seeing all of his Liverpool goals like that reminds me just how fantastic a midfield he had there
Alonso, Mascherano, Gerrard…was it really Torres at all? What would Danny Sturridge do with that type of service? Chicharito? Aguero? Demba Ba? When it comes right down to it, Torres was most successful when he had three of the world’s elite midfielders in their prime feeding him balls. Simple formula really…just go out and buy Modric, Fabregas, and Yaya and the problem is solved. What makes a guy like Drogba unique (and far more valuable in my eyes) is that he can thrive without such excellent service. That gave Mou the ability to put in midfielders who excelled defensively and would look to make runs into the box since they didn’t have to control the distribution in the same manner.
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 2, 2012 6:44 PM GMT reply actions 1 recs
And is it really any surprise when you look at his decline a little closer?
Alonso left and he got a little worse. Mascherano left and he declined further. Now he’s a shell of what he once was.
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 2, 2012 6:46 PM GMT up reply actions
If his true skill was finishing / poaching
He certainly has not flashed it much at all in the chances that he HAS gotten here.
Here is the moment that I lost all faith in Fernando Torres
by Graham MacAree on Feb 2, 2012 7:01 PM GMT up reply actions
I neved had any real hope
1970 - 1984 - 2010
"Vamos Fluzão, vamos ganhar
Eu sou do clube tantas vezes campeão!
Vim pra torcer, vim pra gritar
E por você a vida inteira vou cantar!"
Incidentally the same moment I decided that David Luiz was Jesus
by Graham MacAree on Feb 2, 2012 7:26 PM GMT up reply actions
can't watch this vid on mobile
Assuming this is the perfect 50-yard lob luiz set up for torres to fluff? Or was that vs pool? Maybe this was the bicycle cross from luiz?
by dojothecat on Feb 2, 2012 8:22 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
then I agree
Well I didn’t lose faith completely. But if he was a real killer, he woulda buried that chance like a boss. That was a golden moment, andf I think scoring there woulda led to a whole different first year of his Chelsea career.
by dojothecat on Feb 2, 2012 8:32 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
I don't disagree that needing service is a major weakness.
It is funny, when you think about it. His support has gone step-by-step. Alonso left, Masch left, and he came here, where we have no one suited to that sort of service. It’s been a spiral into hell for him. : )
Author and Official Fernando Torres Apologist for We Ain't Got No History!
It's still the reason I have NO idea why he ever wanted to transfer to Chelsea
Despite his own dip in form, and losing those guys, he still managed some goals. He just really doesn’t seem able to make that transition into the type of striker Chelsea requires with the rest of the squad they have. In his recent Canal interview he was asked why he went to Chelsea when their style was so different, and he said something to the effect of he and his agents (I assume, because he said “we”) did consider that and thought it was an opportunity for Chelsea to change their style of attack, but that wasn’t in the managers’ plans, so he has to try to adapt. Naive, at best, but I wonder if it was an assumption they made, or if it wasn’t part of the suggested reason Chelsea were buying him.
File this under “Things I’d turn back time and undo for the benefit of all involved”! It was like watching a trainwreck… I still can’t figure how anyone really thought it was a good idea at the time.
Should follow up to say
I am NOT suggesting Chelsea buy a whole new squad. If that isn’t in AVB’s plans anyhow, and Torres can’t make it work in the few months left, he’s got to go elsewhere.
His success was definitely not his own at Anfield. There is a reason he wasn’t as prolific a scorer before he went there.
Exactly.
This is why I don’t understand why some feel so strongly against him personally. I thought it was pretty well-known that Torres lived on good service. I guess Roman isn’t as much of a student of the game as he makes himself out to be.
Author and Official Fernando Torres Apologist for We Ain't Got No History!
It makes sense for your midfield to be the most important part of goal scoring
When playing Mourinho style tactics chelsea was drilled on defence and the attack was based on quick wingers, Frank Lampard and Drogba. They could get the goal or two a game that would win it. The main job of the midfield was defence.
If we want to play attacking football the main responsibility has to be a strong pressing game with a quick attack. The main ingredient to the goal has to be the midfield players. The striker is just there to pop it in the back of the net.
The quality of our midfield has mostly been declining until recently when I would say it’s better than last season but still not up to scratch with our double winning season. we need maybe two or three new players to make the attack click. Torres needs to know that if we have possession all he has to do is run at the opposition goal and our midfield (or David Luiz) will get the ball to him.
The guy gets €220.000 per week
And you still have no idea why he came to the Bridge?
1970 - 1984 - 2010
"Vamos Fluzão, vamos ganhar
Eu sou do clube tantas vezes campeão!
Vim pra torcer, vim pra gritar
E por você a vida inteira vou cantar!"
Its more
but he wasn’t exactly living on pennies at LFC. I believe he got paid the most there, maybe with the exception of Gerrard (though I actually haven’t any real data on that, since I don’t follow them closely enough).
I still think he was so blinded by Champions League and trophies that he made a total brainshart of a decision. Maybe that is naive on my part, but he isn’t exactly a big spender in the same vein as some of his colleagues (looking at the CR7’s and Terry’s building mansions on their mansions), so I never figured that the difference in money is what made it. Although, if he is saving up for anything, I wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest if it was to invest in Atletico somehow way down the road. He’s got a lot of saving to do, though, if that is his plan.
But Spain has the best midfield in the world
And he’s been shite w/ them for a long time too.
by dojothecat on Feb 2, 2012 7:21 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
Different kind of best midfield
at least IMO. Torres hasn’t ever really excelled with Spain NT, if anyone ever paid mind to them. His role declined a fair amount there when Aragones left and Del Bosque came in, but he was never a particularly prolific player for them. He struggled through the Euros 2008 too, despite his historic goal. And yet he had the best season of his life at Liverpool. People like to forget that, though.
it's not Chelsea's respomsibility to
Find a team that will give him service. If he can’t adapt his game and produce here, I really don’t care where he goes.
by dojothecat on Feb 2, 2012 7:16 PM GMT via mobile reply actions
The service is poor
Agreed. But it isn’t that poor. Lampard might not be the best at putting through balls but he can occasionally pick out runs. And even Mata hasn’t been able to pick out Torres’s run. Doesn’t this make you feel that he isn’t able to make that runs anymore.
Torres himself hasn’t been that good. Look at the 2nd and 12th goal it shows Torres showing great movement and creating for himself by his pace and dribbling skills. Why hasn’t he done it even once in last whole year.
word
His runs have been sporadic and lacking conviction. He never attacks balls in the box. And when he has the ball at his feet, he fucks around until the chance is gone.
by dojothecat on Feb 2, 2012 7:24 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
I agree with this for the most part
but I will say Mata isn’t blameless either… he’s missed some opportunities for runs, not only of Torres, but other players too, where he is capable of making the difficult pass or chip that needs made, but he chooses to backpass or square the ball instead. He’s actually been increasing in some of this behavior lately, which has worried me a little. I funning love Mata, too… best thing about Chelsea, as far as I am concerned. But he’s not been quite as crafty lately, at least not consistently. I’m hoping it is just a mid-season slump thing that is coinciding with the rest of the team, and that at least by Spring time they’ll recover. He may also just need a bit of a rest, but Chelsea can’t really afford it at the moment.
Torres has been making runs into the box that get overlooked by everyone in a Chelsea shirt
And this happens every game. I just don’t think Chelsea players are used to his runs and/or are capable of supplying Torres the pass that Torres wants.
It’s a shame that he hasn’t gelled with the team… but if it continues like this we should look to offload him elsewhere.
didn't Liverpool play a 4-4-1-1
I think being a front 1 suits him more that being a 1 of 3. I think that it is as simple as that. Where as Drogba has been the best centre forward of a 3 of his time and that the 4-3-3 fits him better than any other. I believe Nando needs to be a front 1.
Like most of our problems really. We don’t play the best formation to be greater than the sum of our parts.
by MrMoreton on Feb 2, 2012 8:21 PM GMT via mobile reply actions
Liverpool were almost always 4-2-3-1 under Rafa
Which, for all intents and purposes, is 4-4-1-1.
by Graham MacAree on Feb 2, 2012 8:27 PM GMT up reply actions
Watching that compilation
makes me sad, especially goal #76 against us where he curl that ball :(.
But what I also noticed besides his through balls being played to him where good crosses. He must have had 10+ goals that were on headers. Our guys need to practice that a little more, if we can’t play a good through ball at least we can learn to cross a little better to get the ball to him.
I would agree
but more as a whole, it needs done. Not just for the sake of Nando. Having more accurate and deadly passing is only a good thing for the team. We may have decent accuracy ratings, but we do an awful lot of passing in the back with no opposition around. Or passing into a lot of the wide open spaces… would be great to keep up good ratings while being able to split defenses more often.
Torres, and even Drogba somewhat, could benefit from figuring out their finishing. Sounds like Torres was doing extra training, and reports were that he was doing well enough with finishing in training… not sure how their training works for this, but it sounds like it isn’t particularly match-like. I could be wrong though (I mean, am I the only one that looks at the little bits of training video we get to see and thinks that the keepers and coaches barely attempt to block a shot?)
Very True
It can only benefit the team as a whole. I believe that if we can cross the ball well to all of our players who are very good at heading the ball (Ivan, Drogs).
Speaking of finishing and extra touches, Bosingwa is killing me. While watching that video I noticed that when Gerard and co. bought the ball up it immedaitely went out to Torres in the middle. Bosingwa holds onto the ball and wiggles his foot a bit before trying to go further in. We need quick decisive crosses into the box, but the longer we take the more time the opposition has to pack the box.
torres also needs to attack those crosses
Crosses into the box where no one is going for them generally look aimless. The crossing needs to improve, but so does the movement of our cf’s. Drogba has been inconsistent w this as well, but at 34 his energy level is just not gonna be constant. Torres at 27 has no excuse, particularly since he’s done fuckall in a Chelsea jersey. He should be throwing himself like a kamikaze at every available ball.
by dojothecat on Feb 2, 2012 11:51 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
Yes
Torres has been bad at attacking the crosses. That is part of finishing. This is why I highlighted his need to improve there… and a great deal. Drogba too, but I didn’t really consider his age. I think he’s shown age isn’t always a factor in his case. To me it is just inconsistency and it happens to the best of players, though he probably was overworked for awhile. I don’t think he is nearly as much at fault for that, but we’ve also not seen a truly consistent run of him throughout the season.. .he sort of had that pack of games in the Fall and now he is at ACoN, so it could have just been a little rust.
Anyhow… this was also a criticism about the training regarding finishing. None of our guys are particularly great finishers at the moment (please read- this is NOT a “defense of Torres” and his woeful form in front of goal… it is a criticism of how Chelsea just aren’t killing off the opposition.. the wins are narrow margins anymore.. .and yes, I am fully aware that if Torres could manage to ever hit the back of the net, that might help quell this problem). While Lampard and Sturridge are our highest scorers, I wouldn’t even really put them in the really clinical department at the moment. While I don’t mind if anyone in Chelsea scores, maybe we really need to define some target men, seeing as we’re not a team of total footballers. Feeding all the chances to 1-2 guys may result in them becoming more consistent. I dunno… I’m thinking of all kinds of crap at this point.
But seriously… I know I only get glimpses of shots in training, but I truly hope they have some more difficult finishing stuff than what I’ve gotten to see. It looks tame.
The author makes some very valid points. I guess the question now is, are we moving
in the direction of Torres’ favorite style? I guess the best barometer of that would be AVB’s Porto. Would AVB’s Porto style be compatible with Torres?
If not, we’re just wasting time and resources here. If so, he MIGHT be worth keeping until AVB revamps us.
Those videos just make me sad. I really loved Torres at Liverpool
Such a shame. He should never have come to Chelsea. I’m pretty sure we’d be closer to the Manchesters if Ancelotti was around. Pity, oh well, hopefully we can offload him and his huge wage bill in the summer.
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