Blues blossomas Torres’ torment ends at last
It says a great deal about the single-mindedness, or perhaps lack of self-awareness, needed to be a top-level performer in the Premier League that Torres could only bring himself to produce terse and slightly ridiculous responses when he was asked about his four months without a goal after scoring two in the 5-2 FA Cup win over Leicester last month.
A couple of weeks later and the mask was slipping a little bit as Torres helped set up Chelsea’s first three goals before scoring the fourth himself for a first Premier League goal since September.
Whether the scrutiny that Torres has endured means that he should be forgiven a little petulance is another argument, while a decade of carrying Atletico Madrid and Liverpool with only a Spanish Second Division winners medal to show for his domestic career will surely be playing on his mind as well.
But, after setting up Salomon Kalou’s winner in the 1-0 victory at Benfica in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg last week, the signs are that something — not that Fernando would ever admit anything was wrong in the first place of course — has clicked.
He glides like he used to three years ago, rather than appearing battling himself just to run at a decent speed as he seemed to even in his final days at Liverpool.
After his flicks and persistence laid on three goals for his team-mates, he also showed a measure of confidence to surge clear and thump in Chelsea’s fourth on Saturday before being mobbed by his colleagues in front of the away support.
“It was an important goal for him,” Branislav Ivanovic, who gleefully got on the end of two Torres flicks, said. “Fernando has been going well and playing well all over the pitch. He’s been doing everything for the team and I think he deserved that goal.”
The rejuvenation of Torres is mirroring his team’s and they are likely to take a step into the last four of the Champions League against Benfica on Wednesday, already have a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals against Tottenham, and are looking as high as third place as they look to get back into the Champions League.
Interim manager Roberto Di Matteo will not discuss the future, despite six wins in his first eight games in charge, or the problematic past under Andre Villas-Boas, whom he served as an assistant but at least the present is not too bad.
“I am pleased with the attitude of the players, they have shown great character as well; we are in this difficult situation, the season has proved difficult for us and we are just trying to win our games now,” Di Matteo said.
They had to do that twice on Saturday. Daniel Sturridge tapped in from close range after Torres’ effort was blocked by Stephen Warnock and Ivanovic stabbed in a second following a Torres flick.
Despite the tide of emotion of Stilyan Petrov’s appearance at Villa Park, the day after being diagnosed with leukaemia, Villa looked flat until James Collins headed in from a Eric Lichaj throw before Lichaj showed great energy to get on the end of Marc Albrighton’s cross.
But Chelsea responded once again and Ivanovic headed in from a Torres glance on, before Torres tore clear to drill in a fourth.
Villa manager Alex McLeish was forced to start with six players of 23 or under and one of them, Andreas Weimann, who was making his first Premier League start, revealed the extent of shock over the news of Petrov.
“Everyone at the club is devastated but we’re all behind him,” Weimann said.
“I only found out about it on Sky Sports News when it came up on TV, everyone was devastated when they found out.
“We’d all gone from the training ground, I don’t even think Stan found out until about 2pm. Everyone was back home and that’s when we found out.”
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