Blimey, I can't believe some of our fans can't recognise what Drogba used to get up to. Of course he was a diver, an actor and a drama queen, even our own fans used to slag him in his early days here, remember him having a row with a fan in the Matthew Harding one game. but boy, did he win us over !

Spot on Yorkley. Drogs was a drama queen of the highest order he loved the attention and spotlight it gave him. He revelled in drama and by God created plenty of it himself. But an out-right, pre-meditated diver in the Ashley Young mode he was not.

I believe the fact that he did, at times, though not always, go down easily was due to the way refs treated him in that very first season he was with us. His physical strength and all action, closing-down style meant he never gave defenders a moments peace and he took some fearful challenges in return but received little protection from match officials who chose to ignore it probably because of his size and strength.

Hey I thought was was the Torres thread. He might have a half decent game soon then we can all praise him to high heaven. Let's face it if he didn't cost us 50 million he would be out on loan by now, or sold.

Drogba used to give many fouls awau simply by out strenghing defenders, he would be penalised for shrugging them off with ease. He knew when he could get away with a battle of power and when to make the most of contact to get decisions. Its not something I like to be honest, joey cole use to be an expeet at it. But it wasnt diving as others have pointed out, nothing like young, bale, wellbeck etc. I still remember ronaldo going down from an anticipated fould from lampard, and frank not touching him but just looking at him with total bemusement.

Not to add fuel to the fire and all that but I think this is what you were looking for.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63GP2fBknV0

 

Okay Teritus, I shall oblige, I can't open the link you've provided but this is the same video ..

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63GP2fBknV0

 

 

I'll start by saying that without the replays and different angles provided by the initial coverage, it's harder for me to illustrate, but I've found a very telling example IMO.

 

The first thing that strikes me about that video (apart from the brilliance of Hazard) is how seldom Torres is in the danger area, it's as if (heaven forbid) he's hiding, something I've accused him of ever since he joined, and it's unpardonable. This is why he grates me so much.

 

A striker needs to show up, whether he's in form or not. That's why I said on Wednesday we were playing without a centre-forward.

 

Freeze the video on 3min14secs. For once Torres is in the danger area, Hazard's on the ball. Now freeze it on 3min17secs. Torres has (conveniently) found himself behind Brown, that is Brown is between himself and the ball. He can't even see the ball, he's hiding behind Brown's back. A good position but ..

 

He doesn't move. Hazard has the ball for a further 5 seconds and Torres doesn't gamble, he doesn't dart in front of Brown, he doesn't try anything. He stands still, in a position where it is impossible to score. He's the only player anywhere near the goal and Brown can't see him so he can surprise him, but he doesn't. He hides. It could have been a goalscoring opportunity, if Hazard had drilled it across or if the keeper had parried it the other way, but it relies on a centre-forward's movement.

 

You have to anticipate as a striker.

 

You then get a better angle from above and you can see exactly what Torres is doing. He's hiding. Any striker worth their salt will move, they'll try and sniff out a goal, they'll try and give Hazard a target. This is why Torres has 2 league goals in 2013, and 2012 and 2011 weren't much better. This is my biggest gripe with him. No movement no striker's instinct. Hiding.

 

He then gives Hazard that little look, of which he's so fond, which says, "I was here all along". No you weren't Nando, you're never there. You need to move.

 

Watch Ba, not the best striker perhaps, his all-round game may be wanting, but have you noticed he's trying to score goals? Have you noticed chances come his way? Why? Because he wants them to. Simples.

 

This is why I have so much truck with those that say it's not Nando's fault, he doesn't get any service. He would get plenty of service if he moved. I've said it all along, a cross only looks good if the striker makes it look good. Drogba was a perfect example of this, RVP another. They get on the end of a cross and you think , "Great cross". Well yes, it was a great cross but you wouldn't be talking about it if the striker hadn't moved, anticipated the cross and gambled. It's only a great cross if there's someone in the box trying to get on the end of it. Moving.

 

Schurrle's goal against City was a perfect example of this. A great assist from Torres admittedly, but we wouldn't be talking about the assist if Schurrle hadn't got on the end of it, and he only got on the end of it with terrific movement, darting towards the near post, bringing the defender with him, and then hanging back. These are the things Torres doesn't do IMO. The movement needs to come before the cross is delivered, not afterwards, otherwise there's very little point in crossing.

 

Edit: I'll wait for the inevitable abuse that follows ..

Edited December 6, 201312 yr by Davey Baby

Looking at that video again, at 3min31secs, Torres has the opportunity to dart towards the goal, into the space between the defenders and the six yard box, giving Hazard the opportunity to cross immediately, but again, he fails to take it, and the chance is lost.

 

Hazard is not going to cross it if nobody wants to get on the end of it.

Spon on Davey but we go through this every season and people seem to have amnesia when it comes to Fernando. 

 

 

I don't know what you mean, I doubt anyone thinks if we play Danny he is gonna get a hat trick every game.

I just think based on the last 2-3 years he is currently a better player to put your trust into if there is a one on one chances setup for him and he is not afraid of getting things wrong. The hesitation which Torres embodies now days I feel rubs off on the rest of the squad, my opinion is that they wonder: Is Fernando going to make the run he should be making, will he go for the 50/50 ball they play behind the defense in front of the keeper.

There have been a lot of times where we are getting the ball to the flanks and Torres remains flatfooted, behind a defender - when most strikers in the EPL would either try to get in front of their marker or run towards the far post to pull defenders out of position. Torres mostly stands around the penalty spot with a defender covering the path of the pass - while Fernando expects the ball to be played into his feet. There is a reason Torres doesn't get too many easy goals after a touch to a cross/near post header/tap in from a yard away etc, mostly it's because of the lack of movement on his part once he enters the box. Even in his Liverpool days this was a symptom of the way he played he would take the ball into the area rather than be the target in front of the keeper - difference at that time was his capability to leave defenders behind and take a shot. Now days he lacks these key traits, so he needs to adapt his game but he has failed to do so - he still lacks the movement, while other times he is not even in the box during such situation because he is either ran off to the wing or is back in midfield well behind the rest of our players.

I'd be happy for a player not to be too involved with our build up play - because we currently have Hazard; Oscar; Mata; Moses; Lampard; Ramires etc who can take the ball forward and transition our play from defense into attack. What we lack is a player who is making himself available inside the box for easy chances from open play. Torres's movement inside the box has lead him to scoring one easy goal this season against Reading - where he should have had far more of these tap ins. His hesitation in one on one situations have allowed defenders who are well behind him to get a final tackle in, or block his shots and this has wasted about eight opportunities so far this season for us to improve our goal difference and make live easier for ourselves in certain matches.

We all know he is not the same player that was taring the Premiership a few years ago, he lacks the acceleration the speed, confidence and instinct he had that - there are flashes of what he is capable of but these flashes come few and far between and rarely win us points. At this point it's easy to say he will never be a World Class striker again, it's also not very difficult to propose trying a different player instead.
We started the season with two forwards, Torres has had 1500 minutes on the field, he is still not doing particularly well playing in front of statistically some of the most creative players in Europe - so there isn't much to loose trying our alternative for a few games before we make a decision what our options should be in the Winter transfer window.
 

Edited December 6, 201312 yr by Las7

Okay Teritus, I shall oblige, I can't open the link you've provided but this is the same video ..

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63GP2fBknV0

 

 

I'll start by saying that without the replays and different angles provided by the initial coverage, it's harder for me to illustrate, but I've found a very telling example IMO.

 

The first thing that strikes me about that video (apart from the brilliance of Hazard) is how seldom Torres is in the danger area, it's as if (heaven forbid) he's hiding, something I've accused him of ever since he joined, and it's unpardonable. This is why he grates me so much.

 

A striker needs to show up, whether he's in form or not. That's why I said on Wednesday we were playing without a centre-forward.

 

Freeze the video on 3min14secs. For once Torres is in the danger area, Hazard's on the ball. Now freeze it on 3min17secs. Torres has (conveniently) found himself behind Brown, that is Brown is between himself and the ball. He can't even see the ball, he's hiding behind Brown's back. A good position but ..

 

He doesn't move. Hazard has the ball for a further 5 seconds and Torres doesn't gamble, he doesn't dart in front of Brown, he doesn't try anything. He stands still, in a position where it is impossible to score. He's the only player anywhere near the goal and Brown can't see him so he can surprise him, but he doesn't. He hides. It could have been a goalscoring opportunity, if Hazard had drilled it across or if the keeper had parried it the other way, but it relies on a centre-forward's movement.

 

You have to anticipate as a striker.

 

You then get a better angle from above and you can see exactly what Torres is doing. He's hiding. Any striker worth their salt will move, they'll try and sniff out a goal, they'll try and give Hazard a target. This is why Torres has 2 league goals in 2013, and 2012 and 2011 weren't much better. This is my biggest gripe with him. No movement no striker's instinct. Hiding.

 

He then gives Hazard that little look, of which he's so fond, which says, "I was here all along". No you weren't Nando, you're never there. You need to move.

 

Watch Ba, not the best striker perhaps, his all-round game may be wanting, but have you noticed he's trying to score goals? Have you noticed chances come his way? Why? Because he wants them to. Simples.

 

This is why I have so much truck with those that say it's not Nando's fault, he doesn't get any service. He would get plenty of service if he moved. I've said it all along, a cross only looks good if the striker makes it look good. Drogba was a perfect example of this, RVP another. They get on the end of a cross and you think , "Great cross". Well yes, it was a great cross but you wouldn't be talking about it if the striker hadn't moved, anticipated the cross and gambled. It's only a great cross if there's someone in the box trying to get on the end of it. Moving.

 

Schurrle's goal against City was a perfect example of this. A great assist from Torres admittedly, but we wouldn't be talking about the assist if Schurrle hadn't got on the end of it, and he only got on the end of it with terrific movement, darting towards the near post, bringing the defender with him, and then hanging back. These are the things Torres doesn't do IMO. The movement needs to come before the cross is delivered, not afterwards, otherwise there's very little point in crossing.

 

Edit: I'll wait for the inevitable abuse that follows ..

Totally agree with your points. Its clear to see that you have actually looked at what you was going to say before you said it, so its not just a bunch of over passionate ranting * something i think we can all be guilty of * theres nothing you say there that anyone can make a genuine argument against.

Someone described Torres in the Cfcuk mag as 'hiding in plain sight', I think that's spot on.

Blimey, I can't believe some of our fans can't recognise what Drogba used to get up to. Of course he was a diver, an actor and a drama queen, even our own fans used to slag him in his early days here, remember him having a row with a fan in the Matthew Harding one game. but boy, did he win us over !

 

Take the diving part out and i would agree. I never moaned at Drogba for diving when he was here because what he was doing wasn't diving, i always used to moan about his play acting and going down too easily though.............well apart from the Barcelona game, i was laughing at that, they got a taste of their own medicine

Oh yeah, Barca deserved that, I didn't mind one bit. As for the diving, my (old fashioned) view that if you feel a touch and go down, then that's diving, but it seems it's OK to do that these days, although I still think it's wrong.

But drogs in that barca game was funny, everyone knew what he was up to, he was like a pantomime villian

We might even be top if Drogba of old was playing this season, how we miss a striker of that calibre.

Hopefully now that the world cup draw has has happened, it will give Torres a real focus and objective to perform better.

Basically he needs to score more match winning/important goals. Thats what he needs to do. I dont understand how a striker can be so scared to shoot. Surely a good striker is one that you almost have to stop from shooting alot. Strikers should be selfish and Torres should be more selfish.

I don't know about him not being selfish. I remember during a game, I think it was Schalke, and Torres was heading for a hat trick, and Hazard decided to score the goal instead. He was in a much better position to score and managed to find the back of the net, but you could tell Torres was annoyed he had been denied the hat trick. He celebrated with Hazard, but you could tell he was slightly annoyed.

I don't see a problem with that, any striker wants goals and needs to be greedy for them.

Hopefully now that the world cup draw has has happened, it will give Torres a real focus and objective to perform better.

Basically he needs to score more match winning/important goals. Thats what he needs to do. I dont understand how a striker can be so scared to shoot. Surely a good striker is one that you almost have to stop from shooting alot. Strikers should be selfish and Torres should be more selfish.

With his experience he'll make Brazil but will not be a starter I reckon. You have Llorente and Negredo for example who are ahead of him. But he's always done well with Spain so Del Bosque will select him and he should.

 

But you are right about him needing to perform. He needs those goals and we need those goals.

Once again we believed he had turned his form around and once again we have been burned.

Once again we believed he had turned his form around and once again we have been burned.

 

Even more unfortunate is we bring on the African chuckle brothers who played even worse

Give him to charity.

 

Absymal, and a mediocre PL-player. One or two good matches every blue moon doesn't make him Chelsea-material.

Even more unfortunate is we bring on the African chuckle brothers who played even worse

 

This

 

Torres is nowhere near good enough for chelsea, and hes our best striker. All 3 need to leave the club as soon as possible

Even more unfortunate is we bring on the African chuckle brothers who played even worse

Unfair to compare someone who got to start the game to someone who played the last 20 minutes, when most of that time the ball was just whacked at them from the other half of the pitch while the referee turned a blind eye to the defence jumping all over them.

Ba should have had a penalty, had it been awarded as it should have been I think you'd be singing a different tune, had Shawcross not barged into him there is a good chance he would have scored and again, I doubt you'd be so critical.

So, transfer window coming up and rumours of a new striker, suddenly Torres falls apart. Coincidence?

So, transfer window coming up and rumours of a new striker, suddenly Torres falls apart. Coincidence?

 

Honestly, i dont think his confidence was ever really back

Logic of football fans eh.  Your team lose 3-2 but it's the striker who takes the flack. When are people going to start to question the mediocore defence? 3 goals away from home at stoke who couldn't score for toffee in there previous games. 3 goals away from home against bottom of the table 3 days earlier. Let's have a pop at the striker though yer

Torres was poor,but two goals away from home should be enough.We are conceding silly goals and this needs addressing.No need to panic at the moment,but i would like to see more goals from our strikers.