Will Fernando Torres ever find his real form again?
The struggles of Fernando Torres have been well documented. Many believed that his poor form had been to do with his lack of interest in playing for Liverpool. When he moved to Chelsea, everything would supposedly click into place again. It hasn’t quite worked out like that though, has it?
After playing seven games for the London club, Torres is of course still yet to score. Signed for £50 million, it’s understandable that Torres may be struggling to cope with the massive expectations that come with a price tag like that. Even so, that did not seem to faze him when he arrived at Liverpool for around £25 million.
In fact, his team-mate David Luiz, also signed on deadline day, has massively outperformed Torres. Luiz has not only looked solid at the back – other than one poor challenge that presented Fulham with a penalty – but is doing Torres’s job as well, with two goals in five games.
So the question must be asked: is Torres ever going to rediscover the form that led to him being considered as one of the world’s best strikers?
The Spaniard’s lack of form can not be regarded as a blip. The injury problems that plagued Torres throughout the 08-09 season in particular, seem for the moment, at least, to have subsided. It therefore seems strange that, having missed only two Premier League games all season, Torres has only nine league goals.
He no longer has the deadly instinct he used to possess; when presented with a half chance, he dallies, often allowing a defender to nip in, and you no longer get the feel that defenders fear him. One or two seasons ago, if Fernando Torres had a chance, he took it. Now it seems that he will need many chances just to get off the mark for his new side.
Devoid of injuries he may be, but they seem to have taken their toll. At the age of 27, Torres is no longer a spring chicken, and the repeated hamstring strains look to have taken a yard of pace from Torres. No doubt, he is still quick, but perhaps not quite so rapid as before. Not only does that mean that defenders are less frightened of him, but it also means he does not have quite so many opportunities to score.
With the players that surround him at Chelsea, Torres should not find himself starved of service too often, and may well revive his goal-scoring touch before long. Nevertheless, if he does not, doubts will surface, not only with fans, but perhaps in the management staff and even in Torres’s own mind.
I am by no means saying that Torres is a broken player; far from it – we have all seen what he can do, and as the saying goes, ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’. But in Torres’s case, the longer this goal drought and lack of form goes on, the likelihood increases that we may never see the old Fernando Torres again.
