Striker lost confidence after his club lost their faith

Senior Sports Writer

Saturday 5 May 2012

It did not take long for his name to come up.

Fernando Torres celebrated a hat trick against QPR but such form has proven elusive since joining Chelsea. Picture: Reuters

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Ronnie Cully

Fernando Torres was always going to be a person of interest ahead of the FA Cup final this evening; a striker of unerring potency at Liverpool, only for that form to become misplaced on the way to London following a £50m move to Chelsea last season. It has been a dramatic change in fortunes for a player that arrived at Anfield five years ago with a formidable reputation.

Only in the last few weeks – with a goal in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona and a hat trick against Queens Park Rangers – has Torres shown signs of this past form. It is expected that the 28-year-old will be back on the bench when Roberto Di Matteo's side face Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in two weeks, with Didier Drogba expected to start. However, tonight's final presents a much more realistic opportunity for Torres to remind everyone of his prowess.Ironically, the man who will endeavour to prolong his frustration is also someone that requires little convincing of the Spaniard's abilities. Pepe Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper, has seen Torres at close quarters both at Anfield and with the Spanish national team, and he believes it is down to Chelsea that the striker has delivered such a modest return for such a hefty price tag."I told him he was going to be back. People, and the press in this country, especially, were killing him," said Reina. "We knew Fernando at Liverpool, and Fernando is a great player. He will always be a great player. "We knew how good he was here, but he needed to change city, team-mates and the mentality of the team. That's a helluva change. The pressure was there, but I don't think it was only down to Fernando. I don't think Chelsea as a club delivered for him. We built a team for Fernando here. Along with Stevie [Gerrard], Fernando was our star player. We had no problems admitting that. He deserved that and he earned that credit. I'm not sure it's like that at Chelsea."Such an appraisal is hard to stand up when you consider Torres has scored just 11 times in 48 appearances this season. The Chelsea striker could be forgiven for looking across to his former team-mates at Wembley with a sense of regret, yet Reina remained coy when asked if he would like to see his friend return to Merseyside."I'd like to play with Fernando every day of my life," was his diplomatic answer. "We're close friends. Our families are close. We shared a lot of things in those three years, and we know each other very well. He will be a friend forever."He was very grateful to Liverpool and to the supporters. When Fernando was struggling, he probably missed Liverpool. I'm not saying he made a good or a bad decision, it's up to him, but he was an icon and an idol here."Reina has also proven to be a popular signing at Liverpool, and very often a dependable one. Yet, much like Torres, the goalkeeper has not always been at his obstinate best this season, an assertion he makes succinctly. "Bad. I don't think my season has been good at all," he said. "It has been below my standards but I am working hard and trying to improve on a daily basis."Unlike Torres, however, Reina has the support network required to remain positive. "I've had the confidence of the people at my club all the time," he said. "I don't think that has been the case for Fernando at Chelsea. It's much easier to get over your mistakes when you know you have the confidence of your manager and your team-mates."Since Andre Villas-Boas was sacked following indifferent form and a lack of confidence from senior players, everyone at Chelsea has seemed more motivated, which has since been franked by their progress to the Champions League final.Torres scored Chelsea's second at Camp Nou when he broke away and rounded Victor Valdes, who was criticised in some quarters for not bringing him down. Reina would likely react differently if one-on-one with the Spaniard tonight. "I'd try to stop him," he said without hesitation.

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Striker lost confidence after his club lost their faith

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