Torres – Domestic disaster, international icon

Article written for Total Football Magazine (Online), June 18th 2012. Full article can be found HERE
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Torres – Domestic disaster, international icon

Questions have been asked for so long about the quality of Chelsea’s troubled striker Fernando Torres, but the precise reason why the Spaniard has not been in the same scintillating form he once showed at Liverpool remains a mystery.

Is it a question of confidence, a lack of service, differing team dynamics, or simply that he has never quite recovered from a niggling injury picked up in the late 2000’s that critics say has had an adverse effect on his pace, power and precision?
Having experienced barren goal scoring droughts whilst at Chelsea and attracting widespread criticism for his confidence shattering performances throughout the past season, Torres has been a regular bench warmer at Stamford Bridge.
If it wasn’t for Didier Drogba retiring this year, perhaps the situation may have stayed the same for another season also.
However, Torres’ time to shine at Chelsea looks to be in the coming season, and what better way to stamp your authority and showcase your talent than on the world stage – and Torres seems to be doing just that.

Clear statement 

With just 90 minutes under his belt in Euro 2012, Fernando Torres led a strong Spanish side to a convincing 4-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland last Thursday, getting on the score sheet twice in impressive style.
His first goal came after a neat bit of individual skill enabled him to steal the ball in the area following a slight fracas moments before, taking it round a defender and thundering a strike into the roof of the net.
The second was arguably better, chasing a well worked through ball, running a third of the pitch with pressure mounting on him and calmly slotting the ball past a hapless Shay Given.
Torres made a clear statement on Thursday night in Gdansk, leading the team to a performance reminiscent of the form that led them to European glory last time round in the 2008 Championships in Austria and Switzerland.
Who needs David Villa? Certainly not Spain, judging by lThursday night’s display.

Squad rejuvenated 

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque came under heavy criticism following the team’s opening result, a 1-1 draw against fellow European giants Italy, after the starting XI featured no recognised striker. Cesc Fabregas led the line, and the side looked tame in the final third.
Skip forward less than a week and the team looked rejuvenated, structured and, above all, together as a unit.
Before the tournament began, bookmakers published equal odds of Torres and Fernando Llorente being top scorer for Spain.
Torres is now the second favourite for the golden boot after just two rounds of fixtures in which he has started one.
Llorente is yet to feature in the opening three hours of this year’s tournament, and with Torres having already been such a prominent figure in Spain’s ascent to the top of the world rankings, it’s mystifying why his prolific form on the international stage hasn’t been replicated at his current club domestically.
Either way, if Torres continues to get the nod up front for a country capable of going all the way in this tournament, it might not be long until his critics who have bludgeoned his tainted club career for so long, become supporters of the same man.

By James Hartnett

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