Yes, I find this thread interesting to look through just to see how quickly people's opinions have changed since he started actually remembering he's a striker. There are people who have always been behind him and hoped he'd eventually get back to his best, even though they have been aware how poor he's been in the past, and there are people who have slated him at every opportunity and called him for everything, who are now kissing his backside cos he's playing like the old Torres. Should he go back to playing mediocre, however, I'd be very interested to see how this thread takes another turn.

 

So I say, keep it. For the entertainment value.

Ironically torresblue your probably one of the worst culprits.......

Edited October 27, 201312 yr by Bluehatter

Would it be fair to say that Torres is a more round and complete player since joining Chelsea? At Liverpool, he was a one man attack where everything was was built around him. At Chelsea, he has learned to link up play, work hard and contribute to the team in the wider sense.

I'm pleased for him, he has had a rough few years and its takrn him a lot of time and effort to get to this level.

Its easy to get carried away but I don't think that anyone is. They know it is just the start and he needs to build on this positive phase.

The always excellent Barney Ronay.

 

This is – perhaps, you never know – exactly how José Mourinho said things might turn out in his most fevered whispers into the ear of Fernando Torres, a centre-forward he inherited a little ungraciously in his second spell at Chelsea, like a chipped Wedgwood gravy boat from a spendthrift aunt, but who has since been the subject of a concerted Mourinho reconditioning project.

 

Torres's winning goal in the last minute of this densely fought Premier League match was a compellingly direct, even rather Didier Drogba-like intervention. Combined with Torres's first-half ragging of Gaël Clichy in a 10-minute spell during which he seemed briefly to have been replaced by a ravenous robot double, this was confirmation of a player not so much back to his best – that Torres has now decisively passed – as experiencing a moment of cautiously hopeful personal reinvention.

 

In part the winning goal was created by a fortunate confluence of errors, starting with John Terry's failed hoof downfield and ushered along by Joe Hart's wild dash off his line as the ball held up in the gusting wind. But it was also testimony both to Torres's energy levels and a new-found sense of untempered directness as he flustered Matija Nastasic into heading back past Hart and then sprinted on to slide the ball into the empty net as Chelsea's entire bench erupted, leaping up in a concerted charge like a mini-frontier of startled antelope.

 

It was Torres's fifth goal in 10 matches in a season that has, to date, been more notable for a textural transformation.

 

"We need his physicality there. The people that play behind him are a little fragile," Mourinho said afterwards, and it is this additional physicality that marks out "New Fighting Fernando", not so much a Torres as a toro.

 

Mourinho has always had a thing for the forward-bullock, the player who can drive a pair of centre-backs towards their own goal, carry the ball forwards and generally test both the mobility and muscle of an opposition's spine, so much so that at Real Madrid he helped transform Cristiano Ronaldo into a kind of sui generis high-grade central battering ram. Mourinho has done what he can at his Lukaku-less Chelsea, producing out of the occasionally hangdog Late Torres a cautiously encouraging vision of Fernando 2.0. It is in part a physical transformation. Torres was encouraged to bulk up under Rafael Benítez, who noticed his diminished muscle mass from his Liverpool days. Under Mourinho he looks more toned, more lithe, less curvaceous in vital areas – and simply more aggressive too.

 

Here his best spell was sparked by a horrendous moment just before the half hour: Ramires crossed from the right. Torres had time to take the ball down inside the box. He opted instead to shin it wildly over the bar, before trooping back towards halfway, that small cropped head crumpled down towards his chest.

 

Not so fast, though. It seemed nothing much was on when Torres picked the ball up on the halfway line with an entire defence and defensive midfield between him and the City goal. Three seconds and eight touches later the ball was in the net.

 

Not only did Torres successfully outsprint the previously un-outsprintable Clichy with the ball at his feet, he had the cuteness to look up and find André Schürrle with an insidious little pass across the six-yard box.

 

It was not so much an assist as two assists in one from a man briefly operating within his own personalised hyperspace. Moments later he picked the ball up inside City's half, turned inside and produced a sublime dipping shot from left to right that hit the bar with Hart offering no more than an air-bound consolation grope.

 

It is, of course, worth keeping these things in perspective. For all his decisive impact on this match, Torres's winning goal here was still just his second in the Premier League since 23 December last year. By contrast Sergio Agüero, who scored a sublime equaliser two minutes into the second half, has nine in eight games, the past five all away from home and overall has 56 goals in 77 starts for City. For a man who doesn't really score tap-ins, that's a lot of inspiration.

 

Both players – for reasons that remain unclear – have their names tattooed in Elvish on their forearms, but the similarities pretty much end there.

Agüero, by contrast, is a pure luxury-good of a striker, free from rough edges and thrummingly high spec. His shot for the goal was hit with the bony part of the outside of his right foot, and struck to sweetly it whistled flat and straight past Chelsea's goalkeeper Petr Cech, who flapped at empty air like a man swatting midges in the dark.

 

With 18 minutes remaining he picked the ball up 40 yards from goal and didn't so much skip past Terry as briefly render him invisible with a sideways glide. Terry scrabbled back after Agüero like a man in tearful doomed pursuit of the last night bus. No disgrace there: Agüero in this mood can, in flashes, do pretty much anything he likes. Torres has often made things look much harder in recent years, a salvage centre-forward who has been reclaimed and refurbished by successive Chelsea managers, but here had the will at the last to make the difference.

 

 

link

Forget the cups and titles, Jose getting Torres looking like a useful player again really makes him the special one! Even the FSW couldn't do it!

His pace and strength are really impressing me at the moment, not getting nudged off the ball a lot and also winning a lot of headers.

 

He dribbling with the ball has improved too, not kicking it too far in front of himself and (as seen with Schurrle's goal) is causing defenders problems.

Also noticed he has a lot more pace now!! He must be working really hard in the gym, fair play to him. He seems stronger as well.

Played brilliantly yesterday, I really hop[e he can go on a solid run now. He deserves to go on a big scoring run after all he's been through!!

Edited October 28, 201312 yr by Zola

I never doubted him for a minute. The man is obviously a secret Genius. 

The Torres Master Plan.

Lure the whole world into thinking i cannot hit a cows ass with a banjo.

Play out said bluff for a few seasons.

Get mad like the Hulk.

Scratch Someone.

Shout " SURPRISE " and score the winner against number one title rivals.

Lets be honest...we'll never see Liverpool Torres again. Liverpool Torres was a phenomenon, but that's long gone....but if he puts in that amount of effort in every game, we have a very, very serviceable striker. He still may not get as many goals as we'd all like...but he'll certainly contribute in a positive manner for his team-mates and pick up some goals for himself.

 

Aside from the glaring miss, he had an excellent game. Showed more toe than he has in a long time, and chased down balls with vigour for all 90 minutes. It was an encouraging game, which is looking like it could build into an encouraging run of form.

 

That said, there have been false dawns with regard to his Chelsea career before. He just needs to sustain this sort of effort, and positivity will flow, and help the whole team with confidence in an attacking sense.

in terms of sheer goals/games i dont think torres will ever return to his old self, but as some have said, his overall team contribution now is greater than it was at liverpool. and that suits us more, as bringing hazard/mata/oscar/schurrle into play is vital to our success

I openly admit I have been one of Torres's critics.

Above all it wasn't his goal tally it was his attitude, lack of

desire to pull on our shirt, unwillingness to give 100% and play

as a Centre Forward should play, let alone one with his reputation

and sheer quality he showed at Liverpool.

It just shows what a great manager Jose is, that he has given Torres

an extra yard of pace and the thought of mind to work for the team and

be proud to wear our shirt with passion and commitment.

He was outstanding yesterday credit where credit is due.

He also was brilliant against Spurs and in Europe in Germany.

But we need this on a consistent basis, then we must look for goals

to match his desire, only then can we compare him to his Liverpool days

when he always delivered especially against us.

The signs are good but I remain unconvinced if I am honest.

Jose Mourinho has once again been a blessing for us fans

What a legend he is !

He missed some chances but he was outstanding and determined to the death.  His determination and belief in our cause earned the 3 points.  I have a new respect for him and I hope he continues it through the year.

 There are people who have always been behind him and hoped he'd eventually get back to his best, even though they have been aware how poor he's been in the past, and there are people who have slated him at every opportunity and called him for everything, who are now kissing his backside cos he's playing like the old Torres. Should he go back to playing mediocre, however, I'd be very interested to see how this thread takes another turn.

 

 

At times (and maybe even still now?) there were people who actually seemed to be relishing Torres failure. A while back, I recall a thread being started which was list the 10 worst Chelsea signings and there were a number taking huge delight in not only making Torres the worst ever Chelsea signing but the worst signing of all time anywhere.

 

That was way OTT then and now it looks plain foolish. Easy in hindsight I know but I'd like to see any who really crucified Torres actually admit they were a bit quick off the mark and retract such ridiculous statements.

Edited October 28, 201312 yr by Nibs

I fear you may be quick to claim Torres has proved all the doubters wrong. He is in a good run of form but we have seen this before. Lets just all hope that he can keep it going. Lets not pick on each other saying he doubted Torres or he kept the faith from day one. It doesnt matter, what matters is Chelsea are winning!

I fear you may be quick to claim Torres has proved all the doubters wrong. He is in a good run of form but we have seen this before. Lets just all hope that he can keep it going. Lets not pick on each other saying he doubted Torres or he kept the faith from day one. It doesnt matter, what matters is Chelsea are winning!

 

I'm not saying that. All I am saying is that anyone claiming that Torres was the worst signing of all time in the history of football was way off the mark and right now they should feel pretty sheepish!

To be fair there were times when he did look like the worst signing of all time. Taking into account the money we paid for him.

Lets just be thankful that he has found some form.

I dont think there was a single Chelsea fan who wanted him to fail and will all be pleased that he is currently doing well. Saying that we could be back to saying "same old Torres" in a months time.

Hes never looked the worst signing of all time, unless you mean money wise. We have had many, many worse signings than him.

Hes never looked the worst signing of all time, unless you mean money wise. We have had many, many worse signings than him.

 

Shevchenko looked worse IMO

Shevchenko looked worse IMO

 

I think Veron was even worse than him

If Torres starts scoring in the league then the past is the past. Who posted what is then by the by.

Good luck to the lad (not against Spurs) but good luck.

A well-taken goal yesterday from a rapidly closing angle and his pace in the game and in setting up Schurrle was outstanding.

The pace he had in the dying minutes!

Jokanovic didn't even look like he had ever played football when he arrived.

Jokanovic goes down as the single worst player i have seen in a chelsea shirt

Bogarde surely?

Kaka for Madrid has to be the very worst. 35M for Carroll deserves mention as well.

£35M for Carroll. That is f**king shocking. The more I think about it the more I think what a f**king mess that was.