Sometimes, you can’t really tell if a manager is serious or not, and considering the pressures Rafa Benitez has been under since taking over the Chelsea manager position, there’s a good chance he’s starting to crack. There’s no other way in explaining his defense of Fernando Torres and his ability, saying the striker is very useful in defending corners.
Yes,Ā Ā£50 million so Fernando Torres can cover corners and be where he should be and is paid to be: Being the target man, waiting to be set up for scores. Unfortunately, even when he does get the chance, Torres usually misses. He has scored only 7 goals in 23 matches this season; only one in the Champions League so far. He has a total of 19 goals in 90 matches (all competitions) since joining Chelsea from Liverpool back in January 2011.
But to Benitez, who might not be able to finish his seven-month contract at the current rate, it’s about finding the positives, not the negatives. If Torres can’t score even if his lifeĀ dependedĀ on it while the midfielder and defenders who should be taking care of business on the defensive end can’t do their job, Torres’ uses can be changed.
All I can do is see things on the pitch and on the training ground, and Fernando is doing really well. He scored a lot in training yesterday but it’s not just about the goals. For example, we have changed his position for corners against us and he was amazing.Ā I don’t know if Gary Neville has analysed this but two or three times now Fernando has cleared the ball. He is really good at that, helping the team to defend. Of course we want him to score but I wouldn’t mind him not scoring as long as the team is winning. Winning is the main thing.
Just to make things clear: Torres has helped Chelsea defend; the same Chelsea that have spentĀ ā¬25Ā million on David Luiz;Ā Ā£7Ā million on Gary Cahill andĀ Ā£7Ā million on Cesar Azpilicueta. The same Chelsea that conceded three against West Ham and three against Juventus on their last Champions League adventure. Who knows how bad it could have been if Torres wasn’t there to save the day?