Fernando Torres out to Hunt down a 46-year-old Liverpool FC strike record
AFTER a week in which Usain Bolt has rewritten the Olympic record books, Fernando Torres has some history making of his own in his sights.
Like the Jamaican sprint sensation, the Spanish striker is looking to break two records and both of them are well and truly within range.
Should Torres hit the target against Middlesbrough at Anfield today, he will become the first Liverpool player in history to score in nine successive home games.
A goal would also make him the highest scoring Reds player after 50 games for the club in over a century.
And given the fact that Torres struck four times against Boro in just two games last season, including a sensational Anfield hat-trick, there will be few betting against him becoming a history maker once again.
Steven Gerrard certainly won't be. The Liverpool captain saw enough from Torres in his first campaign in English football to know that he is every inch the real deal. Gerarrd knows full well that when the former Atletico Madrid man has a target before him he very rarely misses it.
"There has been quite a lot of talk about whether Fernando can get better but even if he stays at the same level he was at last year he won't be a bad player will he?" Gerrard told the ECHO.
"In the summer he went to Euro 2008 with Spain and he certainly delivered for his country. You can't really do any better than scoring the winning goal in a major final and he went and did that so you would have to back him to deliver more often than not.
"It's hard to say how he could get any better, particularly when you look at how well he did for us last season, but he is a good professional who works hard in training all the time and he is still young. So I'm sure he will improve.
"We certainly won't be complaining if he gets better and I've got no doubt that he can become one of the best players in the world because he is a dream to play with.
"You always want players who, when you look into their eyes before a match, you know they want to win it and Fernando is definitely one of those players."
In just 48 games with the Reds Torres has already scored 34 goals, meaning he will surpass Antonio Rowley's modern day record of 34 in 50 games should he score against either Boro today or Standard Liege on Wednesday night.
He would have to score eight in those two fixtures if he is to beat George Allan's record of an incredible 41 goals in his first 50 appearances in a red shirt though and even though Torres has made a habit of making goalscoring look easy, this is one target which even he is unlikely to reach.
But Roger Hunt's 46 year-old record of scoring in eight consecutive home games is well and truly in Torres's sights with the Spaniard having equalled "Sir" Roger's record at the end of last season when he struck against Man City.
The thought of being ranked alongside a true Liverpool legend is one which really excites Torres, who is all too well aware of the esteem in which Hunt is still held at Anfield.
It is winning games which continues to inspire him most though and the 24-year-old, particularly with Liverpool having got their season off to a good start with a 1-0 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last weekend.
He said: "I found out about the record before we played Man City in the last home game of last season.
"I knew then that if I scored in that game I would equal the record so when I got a goal it was a very special moment for me and it made me very proud.
"I did not see Roger Hunt play but I have heard a lot about him from people at the club and I know as well as being a fantastic player for Liverpool he also won the World Cup with England so he must have been a special player.
"As a striker you always want to score goals and if you can break records along the way it is very nice but the most important thing is that the team plays well and wins games."
As long as they are able to count upon a player of Torres's matchwinning quality, Liverpool will always be in with a chance of getting a result in any game, something his appreciative team mates are ever willing to acknowledge.
But while today's encounter could see him breaking yet another individual record, Torres has another team target in his sights which, if achieved, would bring him - and the fans who worship him and bounce to his very name - even greater joy.
"Our focus is on The Premier League and we know how important it is to win The Premier League for the fans," said Torres.
"It has been too many years and we are focusing on that."
A couple of new records along the way certainly wouldn't go amiss though.
tonybarrett@liverpoolecho.co.uk
Older/Newer
« Roger Hunt tips record-breaker Fernando Torres to be on cloud nine | Let's turn Anfield into a fortress again - Rafa Benitez »
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Fernando Torres out to Hunt down a 46-year-old Liverpool FC strike record. TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.liverpoolbanter.co.uk/cgi-bin/mt421/mt-tb.cgi/21937
Leave a comment