Breaking News: Fernando Torres Sucks

Since departing Anfield at the end of the January transfer window, Fernando Torres has been talking more about Liverpool Football Club than some of the current players seem to.  Torres has spoken of turmoil at the club, his desire to win trophies and play in the Champions League.

Fair enough, this is a player that scored the winning goal for Spain at Euro 2008 and was part of the World Cup winning squad in South Africa.  Part of the squad meaning his poor form and nagging injuries kept him from being a contributor.  In 2008 Torres was a player in the ascent.  Possibly the best striker in the world at the

time, he bagged 33 goals in all competitions and made 46 appearances.  That return proved the money Liverpool spent was well worth it.  Some considered it a steal and the Anfield faithful were in love.

Happy days indeed.  The following season his appearances dropped to 38 and his goal tally to 17.  In 2009-2010 his appearances again declined to 32 while his goals trended upwards - 22 in total - but still well off that magical 2007-2008 run of form.  You know where I am going with this.  2010-2011 the injuries limited Torres to 26 appearances and 9 goals for Liverpool.  This was a player some felt was priceless at one point and now was highly injury prone, clearly not enjoying his football and regularly the focus of leaked reports that a move was imminent.

Where am I going with this?  You still have ask?

Torres was sulking on the pitch during the early part of this season with Liverpool (and some would say he is doing the same at Stamford Bridge).  He was blatantly using the ownership situation at Anfield to cover up his poor form.  Torres knows he is no longer the player from 2008.  We've seen this happen to young players before.  Brazilians seem most prone to flaming out by their late 20s as the matches pile up, the travel for domestic league takes its toll, Champions League matches and international appearances wears on them and next thing you know they are an afterthought.  A "could have been amongst the best" type of story. 

Wayne Rooney has been dealing with these accusations throughout the season but I think it is more obvious with Torres.  He is not just out of form but looks like he does not want to be playing football.  He got the move he supposedly desired most - to Chelsea Football Club where he will have the owner's finances to buy any support he needs, Champions League football and the global city to showcase his skill.

He is off the pace whenever he plays.  Has been that way for some time.  Torres is probably still nowhere near 100% fit but even if he were the attitude he displays proves Liverpool were right in selling when they did.  Bringing in a hungry Luis Suarez and the emerging Andy Carroll to replace a pissy Spaniard for a small cost to them was brilliant business.  Let Chelsea figure out what is wrong with Torres.  Let "role models" like Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka lead him back to his '08 form.

And there he was on the bench against FC Copenhagen midweek being "rested" for Chelsea's fixture against Manchester City this weekend.  The striker made an appearance in the 68th minute, plodded around the pitch for the remainder of the match and once again failed to score.  Should he bag a goal against City this weekend it does not mean he has turned a corner and regained form.

Should he come up with a massive goal against Manchester United in the Champions League quarter finals it would go some way to restoring his confidence.  Perhaps even his reputation.  But I don't see that happening.  Torres may be too far gone to re-emerge as one of the world's best.  David Villa has eclipsed him by a country mile as the best Spanish striker of this generation.

Torres may not be first choice at club or for country any longer.  This is his own doing.  He is not mentally strong enough to rehab from injuries.  He is not mentally strong enough to shake off poor form and put the ball in the back of the net.  2008 was not so long ago in the hearts of Spanish football fans. 

2008 is ancient times when you try to remember the last time Fernando Torres simply could not be defended.

Negative-Land

If you have paid any attention to football over the past 5 years you saw this coming. Barcelona being the most attacking side the last half decade against Chelsea, arguably the most negative footballing club to have climbed the ranks to become a “big club”. You laughed at people predicting a blow-out and you contemplated what it will be like sitting through a choppy 90-minutes of scoreless football.

Chelsea’s two EPL titles trump Barca’s two La Liga titles on the basis that the EPL is the superior and more watched league. That being said, Barca has the European Championship that Chelsea so desperately crave. They have gone about collecting their trophy haul the latter half of the decade in very different ways.

Chelsea has bored their own fans, billionaire owner and neutrals to tears while filling their cabinet with silverware under Jose Mourinho. The only difference between Mourinho’s Chelsea and the Sam Allardyce managed Bolton sides were Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba (sorry Kevin Davies and Kevin Nolan). What I am saying is that Chelsea were and continue to be a highly unattractive side that wins.

When someone tries to tinker with that formula – Scolari – the squad falls down the table and people lose their jobs. Hiddink is very much an older version of Mourinho. I am certain he explained very plainly to Drogba that he will get 2-3 chances at the Nou Camp. That if he is to score it will be due his ability to finish one of those chances or create something out of nothing. Drogba failed to finish his one clear opportunity while Chelsea spent the rest of the 90 minutes ignoring him as they fouled Barca and clogged the mid-field.

VoF NOTE: Drogba is a monster. A physical freak and one of the best 3 strikers on the planet when hitting form and not pouting / injured. It is incredibly disheartening to watch a player of this magnitude wasted in that Chelsea lineup. Especially on a European night in the Nou Camp.

Barca meanwhile has given the world a true treat whenever they take the pitch for the last several years. Frank Rikjaard presented us a Ronaldinho in his prime, a young Leo Messi and the likes of Ludovic Giuli and Henrik Larrson. When Ronaldinho lost form, Larrson went back to Sweden, Guili returned to Paris and the club failed to continue dominance over Real Madrid they looked to Pep Guardiola.

And under the ex-Barca captain we’ve witnessed Messi emerge as the co-greatest player alive we all thought he could become. We’ve witnessed Xavi and Andres Inesta become mid-field sensations while Thierry Henry has shown that he can still call upon that legendary form he so regularly displayed with Arsenal. Tune into Gol TV and on any given weekend you can see Barca knock in 4-6 goals and string together passing sequences that make you scrap your jaw off the floor.

But Barca has not overwhelmed their fans with such a trophy haul that they can be described as the “Best Side La Liga Has Witnessed This Decade”. You cannot overlook Real Madrid’s back-to-back domestic titles Valencia’s streak that landed Rafa Benitez a gig at Anfield and Sevilla’s 2 UEFA Cups. Barca have attacked, attacked and attacked but Liverpool and Chelsea have also eliminated them in the Champions League in recent years.

So for all they hype, is being the best in La Liga really only roughly a UEFA Cup qualifying spot in the EPL table? Does negative football trump an actual attempt to construct The Beautiful Game over a 90-minute period?

The first leg of this year’s Champions League semi-final would indicate so. And when these two sides turn up for the second leg at Stamford Bridge Guus Hiddink will gladly take a 0-0 scoreline into a penalty shoot out.

Hiddink and Dunk

I hate to push down my terrific post on Beckham / AC Milan vs. MLS but I feel the need to point out when a Vein of Form prediction comes good: Chelsea won 1-0 against Portsmouth. A few days ago I wrote that Chelsea would win out in the league with 1-0 or 2-1 scorelines.

I call this Dink & Dunk Football. That is the type of squad they are. They can't play the exciting, epic football that Roman was demanding. Guus Hiddink realizes this and will keep putting the team in a position to sneak a goal and defend solidly.

It is not going to be pretty. In fact, watching Chelsea is going to be pretty fucking boring. But it was that way under Mourinho and they won 2 titles.

On a final note: More like David Ngoal!!! Am I right?!?!?