Rafa defiant at fans’ Blue thunder, but pressure now on Torres

Fernando Torres and Roman Abramovich seem to have developed a magic potion that makes it impossible for Chelsea fans to boo them, no matter how many mistakes or bad decisions they make; but as Rafa Benitez runs the Stamford Bridge gauntlet again tonight, at least one of them will be finally feeling the heat.

Benitez knows he will be jeered for the second match in a row when his team face West London neighbours Fulham in the Premier League — and he wasted a chance to ease the situation yesterday when he pointedly refused to apologise for abusive comments he made about Chelsea fans while Liverpool boss.

But the Rafa sideshow is really just the symptom of a much deeper problem that has haunted the club for the best part of two years; their owner’s bizarre combination of a lack of patience with his manager and far too much patience with his centre-forward. Ever since he arrived from Anfield for £50m (€61m), there has barely been a press conference at Chelsea’s training ground in which Torres’ name wasn’t mentioned — normally asking why he doesn’t score goals and why he continues to be selected.

So far, his popularity with the owner and his frustrating lack of end product have combined to see off Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo, who dropped the Spaniard in his final match in charge only to find it was the last straw for Abramovich.

Now, however, there really are no excuses remaining for Torres as he prepares to play against Fulham — his team place virtually guaranteed because the club’s only other striker, Daniel Sturridge, is not fit.

It really is quite amazing the lengths Chelsea have gone to in order to accommodate their record signing. After all, Didier Drogba was allowed to leave, and deliberately not replaced, so that Torres could feel like he was number one; and now Benitez, the man who managed him in his glory days at Anfield, has arrived to get the best out of him.

Yesterday Benitez outlined in detail his plans for Torres. But there was also a worrying admission the striker may never get back to the form that made him one of the most feared in the world at Liverpool.

“He’s not exactly the same player now, because he was at maximum level at this time,” admitted Benitez after much probing. But I think he can come back. How close? I don’t know. It depends on the rest of the team.” The first thing is to give him some confidence, with instructions how he can do things in a different way. Improve him a bit physically too. Fernando needs some exercises that we will try to do for him.”

He added: “I know we have to improve some players physically and I think they will come back to the strength they had. Fernando had real pace. It’s not because he’s getting older or down to injuries. He has to train in a way that suits him and we will try to find this way. You have to work in the gym on strength too. Maybe he needs to do that again.”

There is a suggestion in there that Torres hasn’t been kept in peak condition. But whatever the reason for his lack of goals the most astonishing fact about his career in London so far is that in 23 months he has never been booed, jeered or abused by supporters at Stamford Bridge. How Benitez would like to learn the secret of that achievement because there is every reason to expect he will face that treatment tonight.

“To be fair, I don’t know,” he said when asked what his reception would be. “But I can say that since coming here I’ve worked really hard, coming in at 8.30am and leaving at 8.30 at night, doing my job, talking to players and staff and trying to be ready for the game. I know how the fans feel, but the only thing I can do is try and win their trust.”

In many ways you have to admire Benitez’s lack of vulnerability. This is a man who successfully stood up to Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho while at Anfield; so perhaps it should no surprise that he turned down an opportunity yesterday to apologise to Chelsea fans for comments he made during his Liverpool days.

Exactly what he said has become lost in folklore and translation; but in general he mocked Chelsea’s lack of history, laughed at their plastic flags and vowed he would never manage them, no matter what happened “If I have to say I apologise for this or that, you have to analyse every single sentence. Some aren’t true. Some are,” he retorted when offered another chance to send an olive branch to the Shed End. “It was a Champions League semi-final against a top club. I can understand how the fans feel. I know the rivalry was there. I know their feelings. But I’m here for the right reasons.”