Category: FT9

IT WILL BE HUGE

The Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has said that it would be extremely huge to win the Club World Cup championship with Chelsea. Chelsea are currently in Japan to take part in the Club World Cup championship that involves the Champions League winners from the six continents across the world. Chelsea are undoubtedly the favourites to win the competition after this trophy has been handed to European club in the last five seasons without exception. Even though teams from Brazil and North America have been successful in the past, Chelsea are undoubtedly the favourites to win the title this time around as well.

They come into the tournament on the back of the good run of form in recent matches, which has also helped them bring an end to the eight match winless run in the Premier league. Fernando Torres has also found the back of the net in the league after a gap of more than two months. He has scored four goals in the last two matches and he is on a good run of form. Torres managed to win the Champions League and the FA cup in his first full season with Chelsea. Now, he is looking at the opportunity to lift the Club World Cup as well.

“In Europe maybe we don’t give it as much attention, and to some people it might not mean much, but to me it does, so this is not a holiday or a break, this is a World Cup. It’s nice to be involved, and maybe to be able to say you are a world champion. The European Super Cup was just as important to us and we lost, so we don’t want that disappointment. It wouldn’t make up for the Champions League, they are different things,” said Torres ahead of the tournament.

CHELSEA THROUGH IN CUP

Chelsea has defeated Manchester United in a Capital One Cup match played at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Chelsea won the match by a close margin of 5-4 and knocked United out of the tournament. On Sunday, Chelsea was beaten by United in a Premier League match at the same venue. The Blues came into this match to take revenge and they succeeded in doing so.

At one point of time, Chelsea was trailed by 3-2 and there was only one minute left in the game. It seemed that Chelsea would have to suffer second consecutive defeat in two days, but, that wasn’t the case to be. Eden Hazard scored the leveller in the last minute of the injury time. The match was extended for the next half an hour.  Chelsea scored a couple of goals in the extra time, on the other hand, United managed to find the net only once in those extra 30 minutes.

Daniel Sturridge took Chelsea ahead by scoring a goal in the 7th minute of the extra time. This goal was a result of the poor effort from Wootton. He tried to head the ball back to Lindegaard, but, he couldn’t place the ball well. Sturridge got the ball and he sent the ball past Lindegaard with a wonderful angular shot.

United got deeper into trouble when Ramires scored the fifth goal for Chelsea just a few minutes before the end of the game. Hazard set up the goal and Ramires gave the finishing touch with a clean strike.

United got a penalty in the last minute of the extra time and Ryan Giggs converted that penalty to reduce the lead to 5-4, but, that was too late for United.

Chelsea’s next match will be a Premier League encounter against Swansea City on 3rd of November at the Liberty Stadium.

BACK TO HIS BEST

Chelsea have always been at their formidable best with Didier Drogba leading the attack in the last eight seasons. However, the big Ivorian international is not at the club after having not decided to renew his contract last season. This along with the lack of a new arrival in the striking position means that Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge will be the two recognised strikers at the club at least till January. This has put a lot of pressure on Fernando Torres to deliver the goods for Chelsea in this season. The striker has been disappointing since his move from Liverpool up until now, but he hopes that the more responsibility within the team can help him score goals.

The 28-year-old striker has said that he is also confident of replacing Drogba in the history books of Chelsea. The 34-year-old striker has scored more than 150 goals for Chelsea in his last eight seasons. Didier Drogba was also one of the main reasons for helping the club lift the Champions League title last season. He scored the equalising goal in the normal time, while also converting the winning penalty in the shootout. Now, without his presence, Torres has more responsibilities.

“Didier is not here anymore, so there is more responsibility for me and I’m ready for the challenge. Now, I am looking for new personal targets, like getting as many goals as possible – hopefully more than in my best season at Liverpool. I think all the fans are excited about the Premier League again, after a couple of years of not winning the trophy. So the Premier League is a big target and maybe we can become the first team to win two Champions Leagues in a row,” said Fernando Torres. The Spaniard has already scored three goals in the opening four matches of the season.

NIGHTMARE SEASON

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has said that last season was a major nightmare, despite the fact that he managed to finish the season with three trophies and one individual accolade to his name.

Chelsea signed the Spanish striker from Liverpool for a transfer fee of £ 50 million, which made him the British transfer record holder back in 2011, but quickly out with fans wearing lfc t-shirts.

However, he has struggled for form and fitness during his 18 months with the London club. Ahead of the start of the new season, Fernando Torres has said that last season was a one to forget.

Fernando Torres not only managed to win the FA Cup and the Champions League title with Chelsea, but also lifted the Euro 2012 with the Spanish national team. In addition to this, he was also crowned as the Golden Boot winner at the Euro 2012 after having scored three goals and provided one assist in the competition. Despite this, Torres has said that he does not enjoy the feeling of success because he did not contribute a lot. As a result, he wants to win the Champions League once again with Chelsea, but with the difference being that he is the main man this time around.

“The season was not for me, it was for others.

“Chelsea wins the FA Cup but I don’t play the semi-final nor the final. I didn’t taste anything. I feel I participated a bit more in the Champions League but even so it was not the Champions League I wanted to win, not like that. I want to win another Champions League and in a different way. Not even my team-mates succeeded in doing that in this way. Whatever I do from now on will be for the fans. That is why I want to win another Champions League. For them,” said Torres.

HAPPY TO BE MAIN STRIKER

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has said that he is extremely happy to be the main striker at the club. The 28-year-old will now lead the line after he is the most experienced striker at the club. This is due to the departure of the 34-year-old Didier Drogba, who helped Chelsea win the champions league title with his last ever kick for the club. The former Marseille striker spent eight years at the club since his £ 24 million arrival from the French club in 2004. He is regarded as one of the best players in the history of the club after he has won every major trophy possible.

Now, it is the time of Fernando Torres to continue his legacy. The Spaniard has struggled for goals and has been in the shadow of the big Ivorian since arriving for a record £ 50 million from Liverpool in January 2011. However, it is thought that the departure of Didier Drogba could actually bring out the best in the Spaniard, who showed flashes of his best form at the Euro 2012 with Spain. Not only did he manage to win the Euro 2012, but he also on the Golden Boot award after having scored three goals.

“We are excited about this possibility. We are sure some of them will come, some others will be impossible. It’s very nice to be back and involved with the training again. It was an amazing season for me last time. It couldn’t have been better — I won the Champions League, European Championships for a second time in a row with Spain and the Golden Boot. It was amazing. I’ve had a good break and good time to rest with the family. I am ready to start the new season and I sure it will be a very nice one as well,” said Torres.

TORRES THANKS TEAM-MATES

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has thanked his Spanish teammates for helping him through the tough times. Spaniard Fernando Torres has been in extremely poor form for the national team and the club in the last two seasons. He has not managed to score one goal for the international team in the last two years.

However, he managed to bring an end to the spectacular goal drought he has experienced by scoring the opening goal in the 4-0 rout of the Republic of Ireland in the second group game for Spain at the Euro 2012. The very quick opening goal also helped Spain settle to the regular passing game.

After the match, Fernando Torres has said that he is extremely thankful of the team mates both at the international level and also at the club level for helping him return to form.

Torres has had a tough time ever since completing his £ 50 million move to Chelsea in January 2011. He has been widely touted as the biggest flop in world football, but the 28-year-old has been showing signs of life in recent months. He helped Chelsea lift their first ever Champions League title, according to the Chelsea newswebsite, while he has boosted the chances of Spain qualifying for the quarter-finals with his brace against the Republic of Ireland.

“When things were going badly with Chelsea this season there wasn’t a weekend when I didn’t get a text or a phonecall from one of the lads in the Spain group just giving me support or encouragement. This is a strong group, with big mentalities and leaders. We’ve been through some hard moments and know we can trust each other. When times are good for a footballer the number of people who want to phone you for one reason or other is too big,” said Torres after the match.

TORRES AIMING FOR TOP 4

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has said that the club will be still aiming for top four finish, despite the fact that they have reached the Champions League final this season. Many have been suggesting that Chelsea will now be looking forward to protecting their players ahead of the biggest game of the European calendar. Chelsea will be taking on Bayern Munich in the final on May 19. A number of players including captain John Terry will be missing the match. Hence, there has been a suggestion that Chelsea will be not performing 100% in their remaining Premier league matches knowing that finishing in the top four demands dropped points from other clubs like Tottenham and Newcastle.

Yet, Torres has confirmed that Chelsea are still looking to finish in the top four and this will be their priority till the end of the season. Finishing in the top four will mean that Chelsea will get guaranteed place in the Champions League next season. Playing in the group stages of the Champions League will ensure £ 20 million to a club. Missing out on this revenue will prove to be extremely difficult for a club like Chelsea in their efforts to comply to the financial fair play regulations.

“It’s an important result and we keep on getting points and I am very happy with all three [goals], hopefully they’re the first of many. The more important thing for me is that the team is in the best form of the season when all the important games are coming. It was difficult in the beginning and not getting the results, changing the manager during the middle of the season, so no-one was betting for us,” said Torres after the 6-1 drubbing of London rivals QPR. Torres scored his first Chelsea hat-trick in the match.

TORRES EXCITED FOR BARCA MATCH

Fernando Torres has said that he is looking forward very much to the Champions League semi-final encounter with Barcelona on Wednesday night. Fernando Torres is looking to add the Champions League medal to his collection of the European Championships and World Cup medals.

Torres moved to Liverpool with the aim of achieving big in Europe, but he failed to win any major trophy with Liverpool. Now, he has made a £ 50 million move to Chelsea in the hope of winning the Champions League, which is also the ambition of owner Roman Abramovich. Torres is likely to start the match against Barcelona given that he was not involved in the match against Tottenham during the weekend.

Torres will also be looking forward to playing in the FA Cup final against Liverpool after Chelsea qualified for the final by thrashing Tottenham 5-1 in the semi-final. Chelsea will be looking to add to their three FA cups since the new Wembley was opened in 2007. Fernando Torres is looking very much like his old self, although he is yet to start scoring in the same fashion.

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TORRES OFF TO JUVE?

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has emerged as a shock transfer target for Italian club Juventus next season. Juventus are looking to make an ambitious return to the top of the Italian Serie A and also to the Champions League, but they clearly see the need for a marquee signing. Fernando Torres joined Chelsea for £ 50 million in the January transfer window of 2011.

Even though it is highly unlikely that Chelsea will be willing to part with the 28-year-old after just one season, they will certainly consider a very good offer from the Italian club. Fernando Torres has largely been ineffective during his Chelsea career, and he is also thought to be interested in such a move in order to resurrect his career.

Torres is close to failing to make it into the Euro 2012 squad with Spain. One of the reasons for it has been the poor form he has been experiencing with Chelsea. However, he recently scored two goals against Leicester City, which only served as a reminder of his quality. Given that the striker has a lot of football ahead of him, it is highly unlikely that Chelsea will be willing to part for anything less than £ 30 million. Football agent Caliendo recently said that Torres would be a perfect fit for Juventus, as they would build the team around him.

“Juventus have clear ideas about what they want in the transfer market. Torres could be the high-profile signing they are looking for. He is a big name and would be the right man for [the coach, Antonio] Conte. He has all the right characteristics to play at Juventus. Players who leave La Liga tend to have problems. They are used to a certain style of play in Spain. [Lionel] Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are scoring goals for fun, and so was Torres in Spain,” said Caliendo.

TORRES FELL OUT WITH AVB

A new report has emerged saying that Fernando Torres had a bust up with former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas just a few hours before the Portuguese was sacked from his position by owner Roman Abramovich.

Roman Abramovich was conducting an inquest into the future of the Portuguese manager after the team suffered yet another poor result on Saturday. Chelsea lost 1-0 at the hands of West Brom, but even more than the defeat, it was said that Roman Abramovich was extremely concerned about the lack of spirit within the team. Fernando Torres has not been part of the Chelsea first-team for quite a while under Andre Villas-Boas.

There has been speculation that the former Chelsea manager has been trying to alienate some of the high earning and experienced members within the squad. In order to back these claims, Andre Villas-Boas has been not having a good relationship with players like Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, and Fernando Torres.

In the end, Andre Villas-Boas was sacked by Roman Abramovich, who has put assistant manager Roberto di Matteo incharge of the first team till the end of the season.

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