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It’s obvious to me that under Rafa Benitez, there has been a marked improvement in Fernando Torres. In the past two games and as Benitez has more time to work with the players, we have seen Torres score four goals. The problem is that it’s all well and good scoring four goals against Nordsjaelland and Sunderland, but he needs to do it more often.
It’s important that people do not get carried away with Torres. If you are regular reader of my articles, you will know that I have been 100% behind our striker, but of late my opinion had started to change.
I posted last week that Torres had to do more and get back to being a striker, playing as a striker and playing high up the pitch. Torres’ problem in the past has been that he has dropped deep to pick the ball up and in the process get too involved. He has drifted out wide in positions we do not want to see him in, while in his defence, when he made runs in behind he was often ignored.
It’s seems that in the last two games Torres and the Chelsea team has changed. He IS playing higher up, he isn’t dropping deep all the time or moving wide, and the team is playing the ball earlier to him for his initial runs which were being ignored.
Torres himself spoke after the game to the BBC on Saturday and said:
“We are playing a bit differently now. We do not pass the ball as much as we did in the final third and we play a bit more direct. We are attacking more and creating more. Normally, it takes some time with a new manager but the last two results will give us more confidence.”
He is right. It is more noticeable and the credit goes to Benitez for making the changes.
I posted when Benitez was appointed that there was only one reason he was brought, and that was Torres. And it does seem that we are starting to see Torres and the team playing for him on the right track.
Benitez openly spoke of what he has been doing in training after the game and said:
“It’s fair to say that we are watching now a Fernando with more confidence and with more belief and, at the same time, the team is the same way.
I was analysing his movement before and we were adjusting little things. It’s a question of confidence and just little different movements.
But we have to give credit to all the team because they were doing a very, very good job. “He is doing well because the team is helping him. If we create more chances he will score more goals.
Like I said, it’s important that we do not get carried away with Torres in the last two games. If he can build on those performances and the team can continue to evolve their style to suit him, we could see Torres really hit the ground running.
The problem is that we have seen glimpses of all this before and we have seen what has happened since he has been here.
One game at a time for now with Torres is the way forward, but we do have to give Benitez credit for what he has changed so far!
