An attack with a weakness: The truth about Torres

This article has been written by Joshua John. I am merely publishing this on his behalf.

Torres is a hero from the past  and a future legend, scoring in all tournaments in a single season and is a winner of the World Cup , Euro Cup(s) and FA Cup(s) . He has a few titles to his name like: Spain’s all-time 3rd top scorer with 31 goals,Spain’s all-time top scorer in UEFA Euro matches  and the only player to score in two UEFA Euro finals. He was also the winner of the golden boot at Euro 2012

Playing for a side like La Furia Roja , who are world champions , Nando’s contribution has been a big one and he has left his mark on a great side . With all this being said why is Torres struggling to perform at Chelsea? Why aren’t  the footballs ending at the back of the net ? Watching almost every game from last  year, I have come up with a few observations  on why  our ‘beloved striker’ lacks  that  killer instinct or that fortitude and vehemence upfront.

1.)The aggressive and attacking nature  of our midfield and defense –

Chelsea have the world’s top scoring midfielder in Lampard and with the likes of   Hazard, Mata , Oscar or as some  call it “Mazacar” , Ramires  , Moses and Marin (up to some extent) in midfield  and a defensive side that loves to score or move forward , which includes the captain Terry with over  50 goals and Luiz , Cahill , Ivanovic , Azpilicueta and Cole  ; the attacking nature of the team has caused our strikers to change their approach to a timid and pessimistic one . They have lost their dauntless and gallant nature and rather play a more supportive role . We see this in Torres in the recent past as he tries to pass or in other words get rid of the ball to a more confident Hazard or Mata who fortunately almost  never fail.

What is the solution to this problem ?

As a team we cannot change the style of our players and also cannot risk the little that works out for us at the moment , however we can improve the mindset of our players and supplement a little extra  confidence and support and our problem ismost likely to be resolved . In the case of Torres, a little time with the national side will help a lot with his performance . The love and support of the Spanish fans will boost him along with some  playing time with the world’s best.

2.)The continuous change in managers-

Managers aren’t supposed to affect the personal style of a player’s game however they do affect the individual’s  performance for the team . Ever since Torres started wearing the blue kit we have had four managers , that is if Torres is not let loose by the club at the end of the season , as the probability  of the current interim leaving is 1/1 .The previous men are Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo. Roman is the reason why we are flourishing however sometimes he makes you think “what is he doing!?”  . Sacking of AVB  was comprehensible however dispensing Di Matteo or Ancelotti  was not.

With different ideas from each of these men it affects the players views and thoughts on his role in the team . This applies to not only strikers but also to the whole team . In the case of Torres this has played some sort of a small role in transforming him from a fierce lion to a tame cub .It is unfortunate that Torres and Ba did not get a turn to train under the mentoring of the special one, Mourinho . I don’t want to speak too soon and we’ll just wait for the summer with our fingers crossed . This of course being more hypothetical than realistic.

What can be a solution to this ?

This is not upto us as we can all see , all we can do is raise our voice and hold up banners  at games and question King Roman and his methods. However if rumors  are true and now that he is said to be having talks with Jose, I think there lies the answers to our problems

3.)The huge shoes which he has to fill-

When Torres 1^st joined our club he came in as rotation player as we had one of our legends Didier Drogba in 1^stteam . Torres was brought into make life easier for the beast from Ivory Coast . However  Drogba, who was at his prime ,with high fitness  levels  and overflowing confidence  did not feel the need for much rest and thereby did not find himself sitting on the bench as much as everybody expected .

With this being said Torres’s poor performances had not penetrated the hearts of the blue family as we had our savior in Drogba. However when Drogba moved his belongings away from the dressing rooms at  Stamford Bridge , the roles had been reversed . Torres found himself on the field more often than not and the pressure on his feet and head would have been unimaginable as he would be replacing a legend . This pressure was not created by the the supporters nor the staff and not the opponents , but he himself realized the role he had to play in the side and somehow this affected his performance even more .

The supporters now felt the absence of our match winner, and then started putting pressure on Torres to perform .This is definitely understandable as for every fan a club is bigger than the player itself . We may ask ourselves why didn’t the same thing happen to Drogba ? Well not to take any credit away from the great,  however he did endure the same amount of pressure as Torres did .

Drogba did  succeeded some of the greatest goal scorers for Chelsea however they weren’t in the recent past like Roy Bentley(150 goals-1948-1956), Jimmy Greaves(132 goals from 1957-1961),  the all famous Bobby Tambling(202 goals from 1959-1970),  Peter Osgood(150 goals from 1964–1974 and 1978–1979) and Kerry Dixon( 193 goals from 1983-1992) .

This 3^rd point according to me is one of the main reasons why I feel strikers do not deliver for Chelsea as the task or goal to reach the heights set by Drogba seem unreachable . No matter who the striker is .  Even Demba Ba’s performance in the Blue’s attire (4 goals in 14 appearances) isn’t any better than Torres’s. It all began with the huge void created by Drogba. Even a Neymar or a Falcao will not be able to able to do so unless they have their hearts set out for the club every time we take the field . This raises the question of the need for Falcao .

The table shows that the performance levels of the players are similar –

What can be a solution to this ?

The players in this situation have to stick to their tasks . It will take some time to realize their strength and play with confidence .It is said that fans play a major role in the club . We are not followers but a part of the club and our role is to support and respect our players and staff no matter who they may be (referring to clearly the interim). I’m sure our strikers will perform to the maximum abilities. We just have to back them through the up’s and down’s , and after a justified number of chances we will believe in Roman to take the necessary actions and bring in players who we will have to love.

Hoping for a good  finish to a satisfactory season and to a new start with the Special One ,Jose Mourinho.

Signing off for now  with these words – Slowly, Steadily and Surely.

Joshua