Is Fernando Torres ready to blow like El Nino?
WATCHING the Aston Villa match, it wasn't the result that concerned me the most - hey, 35 games to go, big summer signing to come in, plenty of time to sort things out.
Instead Fernando Torres's whole demeanour was setting alarm bells ringing from the referee's first whistle.
It seems a Villa defender only had to look at him askance and he was throwing his arms up in disgust, frustratedly mouthing off to the ref and sarcastically applauding everyone within 20 feet.
The comparison to when he first joined the club was staggering - talking around the office today, we remembered a match when he was kicked all over the pitch at Reading, but got on with it and scored a hat-trick, a real baptism of fire.
So what has happened to get him so easily riled now?
Well, for starters he has being playing football non-stop since he signed on the dotted line at Anfield, after the European Championships and the Confederations Cup, with the World Cup to come in 2010. That is a hell of a strain for anyone, but is only a tangential cause for his malaise.
On top of that it is a truth universally acknowledged that top players will get kicked by the opposition - it comes with the territory and always has - and Villa's treatment of the Kid was tough but not rock hard.
No, to me he looks like he is feeling the strain of being back in the big fish, small pond role he left Atletico Madrid to escape and carrying virtually all Liverpool's goalscoring threat.
After a summer of the Reds being linked to names including Davids Villa and Silva, and everyone else in between, Torres has watched as an injured Italian midfielder and very good right back arrive.
I''m sure that both those signings will prove to be excellent, but I bet Torres must look around the dressing room and apart from Steven Gerrard, wonder where the goals are going to come from.
Sure, Dirk Kuyt is always good for a dozen or so, but who else? The ponytail? The always frustrating Babel? The still raw kids?
He must have hoped at least to see someone come in and take some of the burden away from him.
Instead Torres carries it virtually alone (just like at Atletico) - and with virtually no chance of anyone coming along to help, due to a summer of financial constraints.
Of course, Torres is so well paid precisely because of his ability to perform at the highest level, as he has done since he joined Liverpool.
But thaose demands are clearly taking a toll.
So what's the answer? Firstly, Benitez must work overtime to get Torres's mind settled as it was before.
Secondly, one of the other strikers I mentioned earlier has to step up and score some goals, instead of featuring ineffectively for 20 minutes or so per game.
Finally, Benitez has to move heaven and earth to bring in some reinforcements - on a free, a season-long loan or paying in instalments.
Whatever it takes, because the Kid needs some help. If he doesn't get it, I worry he could blow up big time or at least continue to throw the toys out of the pram.
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This article Is bang on.
Another opportunity wasted. No world class signings except for the return of that wonder of wonders..Voronin!!!
Hicks and Gillett are intent on destroying LFC. What a shambles and it'll only get worse till Rafa walks away together with Torres.
Spot on. A few weeks ago Rafa said he was after some help for Torres. Now the stories are out we have no money and Rafa is fuming as he was promised £20M to take us to the next level.
Well Thanks to tom and gerry the clueless buffoons (thanks to David Moores too) we are probably looking at top 4 at best again.
There's still a few days left but there are no stories linking us with anyone so unless there is a big Hicks style PR signing imminent that we don't know about, we may continue to blow a bit hot and cold.
Slighty worrying times - lets see how Saturday goes though - the Reebok is often a tough match.
He's only human, First season was just like being a new kid at a new school you are on your best behaviour at first ... then come the second and third years you get a bit more feisty and more outspoken!
Torres, Gerrard, Kuyt, Benayoun all weigh in with goals it is the same with most other teams around the premiership, they all only really have 3-4 that net the bulk of them!
So, I'd say Yes El Nino is about to blow! .....but in a scoring sense, with a bucket load of goals!!!
Have Faith!
Johnny The Fox
He's only human, First season was just like being a new kid at a new school you are on your best behaviour at first ... then come the second and third years you get a bit more feisty and more outspoken!
Torres, Gerrard, Kuyt, Benayoun all weigh in with goals it is the same with most other teams around the premiership, they all only really have 3-4 that net the bulk of them!
So, I'd say Yes El Nino is about to blow! .....but in a scoring sense, with a bucket load of goals!!!
Have Faith!
Johnny The Fox
This article has hit the nail on the head. Its time to do anything to get these yanks out - even at the cost of results on the pitch in the short-term. At the end of the day we will probably never win the league with the americans in charge because they just don't seem to understand that in football (that's "soccer", george) and especially in the premier league, if you stand still from season to season you are actually moving backwards as your rivals strengthen. Its a sport where constant investment in the playing staff is necessary just to remain competitive. If you have a manager of Rafa's ability this investment is then transformed into revenue in the form of prize money - year on year. we'll be lucky to qualify for the champions league with the squad we have - what happens if Torres gets injured again?
Great Article,
I moved from Liverpool to live in Sydney Australia and the feeling down here amongst the red fans is exactly the same, the Yanks are destroying the club and we need to do something about this.
We are going to stop buying merchandise and I hope that the local reds will begin to picket outside of the ground.
we need to hit them where it hurts.
It is gutting to see our club like this and I only hope that the Yanks will sell, take their fat profits and move on to another sport to suck their club dry. We don't have any more blood left....
we don't need them at the detriment of everything this club believes in.
In Rafa we trust...
The reason the players are playing so badly is because the yanks are quite obviously trying to undermine rafa with a view to getting rid of him and this, understandably, is affecting their confidence. We'll never win the league with the americans destabalising our club - no matter who the manager is. In fact, I would suggest this probably doesn't bother the americans - they are only interested in qualifying for the CL on the cheap every year (its obvious thats what their business model is).
Yanks Out - The sooner the better