Fernando needs to kick on, concedes Blues boss Carlo

CARLO ANCELOTTI has admitted that Fernando Torres must start performing better but has dismissed suggestions that his arrival has unsettled Didier Drogba.

Torres has not scored since moving to Chelsea from Liverpool in a £50 million (€58m) deal at the end of January. He was dropped to the substitutes’ bench for the 1-1 draw with Stoke on Saturday, before enduring more frustration during a 30-minute cameo in the second half.

Ancelotti has previously played down the 27-year-old’s goal drought and remains convinced that he will soon start to link up with his team-mates more effectively.

The Blues manager has called on the other players to make Torres’s job easier by spotting his clever runs, but also concedes that the Spaniard needs to contribute more.

“He has to improve, obviously,” Ancelotti said.

“But this has been his first two months here. If he has some difficulties building relationships with the players, that can happen.

“Sometimes he moves very well on the wrong side of the centre-back and the ball does not arrive at the same time so we have to improve this.”

Torres has struggled to build up an on-field rapport with Drogba but Ancelotti has laughed off claims that the Ivory Coast international is reluctant to pass to his new team-mate. “This is pub talk,” Ancelotti said.

“If there is a possibility, they pass the ball without problem.”

The arrival of Torres fuelled speculation that Drogba’s days at Stamford Bridge could be numbered, but the former Marseille forward’s reaction has pleased Ancelotti.

He said: “I spoke with Didier about this and his thought is this: that Torres is here to improve the power of the team. And, for this reason, he is happy. If he thought that Chelsea had bought Torres to replace him, he would not be happy.”