Rafa backs ‘misunderstood’ Torres to fire

FORMER Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez has backed Fernando Torres to be a success at Chelsea and has sympathised with the Reds fans who feel betrayed by the Spaniard’s switch to his new club.

If selected, Torres will attempt to break his scoring duck for Chelsea tonight in their Champions League tie against FC Copenhagen, after four appearances in which he has struck 12 shots and created eight chances for team-mates without yet scoring. Benitez, who signed Torres for Liverpool in 2007, can see why the January departure has hit the club and its supporters hard. He suggested that Torres was upset by broken promises from the old board when under the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

“You have to analyse situations depending on their context and this one is difficult,” said Benitez. “The moment it happened was perhaps what hurt most. People still don’t understand it. I think Fernando has his reasons and it’s a tough situation to accept for the fans, as he was an idol.

“From an outside perspective, it’s understandable but from the inside, people haven’t understood it. Fernando has done a great job for Liverpool. When we (Benitez and his coaching staff) left, he might have been made promises and he, like has happened to all of us, saw there was money for signings and then they didn’t happen.

“He reached a moment where he thought he probably had to decide because of his age and his personal objectives. It depends on the timing and that’s what people haven’t understood.”

Benitez, talking to Gol TV in Spain on Monday, claimed he took no pleasure from Liverpool cashing £50m (€57m) for Torres after he had bought him for £20m (€23m) from Atletico Madrid.

“People say we signed 70 players which is absolute rubbish. They also say we spent a lot of money on Torres but we signed 40 players and some of them cost nothing,” he explained.

“We wanted to take a step forward and Fernando allowed us to do so. In that respect it was a cheap and profitable deal.”

That’s also why Benitez feels that Chelsea have not overpaid for the striker.

“For a long time many Liverpool fans considered him more important than Steven Gerrard. The young people were crazy about him and the older people saw the goals and loved them. He worked hard, showed humility, integrated and everybody loved him.”