It looks as if something is eating away at him, and during the summer there seemed to be an easy explanation. He wanted a move away from Anfield after the Reds dismal league performances last season. It was believed he wanted to be in a team winning things, with ambitions and finances which could help him realise his goal. His declaration that he would stay at Liverpool put this theory to bed. Still though, his form did not turn around at the start of this season and we have only seen flashes of the player we have been used to playing in a Red shirt over the last few years.
Bizarrely there have been many times that I have felt Torres has turned his form around, and thought we would now see the best of him. After scoring against both West Brom and Blackburn I felt his confidence levels would increase enough for him to find his feet once again. Yet, it was apparent in subsequent games after both goals that this was not going to be the case. After his goal against Blackburn Rovers, you would put your money on Fernando scoring against Bolton on Sunday when he had a chance early on, but he lost his composure and the opportunity was gone. During the match you continued to see signs that all was not well: he passed a ball directly out of play at one point under no pressure and also miss-controlled the ball on a number of occasions. His legendary partnership with Gerrard was also on the blink too as he failed to provide Stevie with a simple pass to set him through on goal.
Yet, there were some good signs; some good close control as well as moments where he ran at opposition defenders. He also assisted the winning goal for Maxi Rodriguez with a clever back heel but still the performance against Bolton was not a complete display by him. He is gradually improving but it looks as though one goal or one inspired moment will not be the catalyst to spark him into life after all. It looks like it will be a long graft back to top form and I agree with Roy Hodgson that if this is going to be the case, he must work hard for the team, pressing and closing down when off the ball. His work rate will be rewarded eventually and hopefully this can inspire the man back to his greatest heights. In our current situation we need him playing well and hopefully, whatever that has been holding him back; injury, lack of confidence or even desire, we hope this will begin to dissipate and we see the Fernando Torres of old.
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STELLA WDM RESULTS
The root of tTorres’s problems is the fact that he was overused by liverpool and spain in the last 3 years. Spain kept playing him in meaningless friendlies including the confederation cup in summer 2009. Benitez should have explained to Torres the danger this would cause to a guy heavily reliant on his speed. Torres is now afraid to go at full pelt on runs now as he is afraid to cause yet more injuries to his legs.
Is it form or is it the will to peform?
Torres was promised attacking football by Hodgson and signing quality players. Hodgson did not live up to the promisses and now Torres is pissed off. He just wants to leave liverpool
The problem is the manager. Roy is an old fashioned manager who can’t motivate the team. Torres hasn’t looked one bit interested this season, it’s clear that we need a manager who can get the best out of top players, someone like Rafa, Hiddink or Rjikaard. Also, the players around him are not giving him enough support, meaning he’s relying too heavily on Gerrard. The likes of Joe Cole and other attacking players must up their game. If the team as a whole isn’t performing well then it’s no surprise Torres isn’t playing well. As Reina said, Torres isn’t the one to blame for his poor form, it’s the players around him who have been poor and also in my opinion, the manager, who’s got no plans or ideas whatsoever and just throws Torres up front on his own, expecting him to score goals without the support of other players.