The Struggle Striker, Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres surprised everyone including me with a record British transfer fee of 50 Million pounds to Chelsea Football Club (Chelsea FC). It really isn't a big matter if he choose to make a move to another league. But why he left Liverpool Football Club (Liverpool FC) for their arch-rival Chelsea? Did he really thinks about how the Reds fan will react with this situation? On 3rd August of 2010, he stated his commitment to Liverpool by saying "My commitment and loyalty the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed." He then make a controversial decision by handed in an official transfer request to Liverpool, and completed the transfer to Chelsea FC on 31st January of 2011.

 Maybe there are many different reaction showed by community who love Barclays Premier League (BPL) with the transfer, but do you really know about the Spain international that much? I recommend you to join the post to get a little information about him here. :)

1.  Atlético Madrid

  You are seeing Fernando in Atlético Madrid jersey. He is already with the club through the youth system in 1995. He shows a very promising ability to be develop and keep on the effort to earn an official professional contract with Atlético Madrid in 1999. The early season didn't seems to be a promising start for him, as he struggle to fit into the club system. The striker have become even more involved with the club since the promotion onto La Liga on 2002-2003 season with 13 goals. He keeps on his form to be selected into 2006 World Cup campaign by becoming the top scorer of Spain players in the competition. With a consistency plays on La Liga, never doubt we will be alert by the offers he received on many huge clubs like Chelsea FC, Newcastle United and Liverpool. The club repeatedly turn down the offers to keep him to stay with the club. However, media revealed that Atlético finally reached an agreement with British club, Liverpool Fc with a transfer fee of 20 million pounds at the end of the season 2006-2007. 

2. Liverpool FC

   
 And here we are seeing Torres wearing Liverpool Football Club jersey. Since arriving to the club on 2007-2008 season, the Spanish international really showed world class stuffs, from the way he dribbling past defender, the way he shows us how beautiful he plays football, and the way he finished with the ball perfectly applied with a classy style. He will easily punished the opposition by gives him only an inch of mistakes. Liverpool Football Club, known as one of the giant in English Premier League with a same level with Manchester United following their successful season in the past. "You will never walk alone" are the slogan the reds used to describe their successful always come with their effort as a team. But what about Torres? It seems like he is "walk alone" to leave the reds. Of course when you are looking with the likes of Xabi Alonso and Javier Masherano also exits Liverpool, but it is not the same scenario as Fernando departures are. For three and a half seasons, the El Niño (The Kid in Spanish) have become the club hero and always been listed to join Steven Gerrard as the club most beloved players to play at the club until retirement.

Let's get a little review about the life of Torres at the Reds. It didn't take a month for him to proved his worth by scoring a brilliant goal to silenced Chelsea in a 1-1 draw match against the west London side on 19 August 2007. The season ends with him become the second place in race for the Premier League golden boot award. The 2008-2009 season goes well with the striker as he managed to scored 50 goals for Liverpool in all competition. That is also the highlight where he have been choose as a part of 'The 50 greatest Liverpool Players' in The times's list. The 2009 2010 season we see Torres finished the season with injury on 18 April, but still manage to become Liverpool's top goalscorer for the second time with 22 goals.

And here we goes with the final season, the mid-season of 2010-2011. With the new manager Roy Hodgson seriously on keeping him in the club, the effort didn't work successfully as the manager failed to unleashed a once before frightened striker to the opposition as the striker struggle to make an impact he used to have on previous season.

Then we are seeing the departure of Roy Hodgson from the Reds, and being charge by the assistant coach, Kenny Dalgish who wll take the responsibility to be Liverpool caretaker before the club seeks new manager. Dalgish is a different story from Hodgson side as he seems to use the strategy that goes well with Liverpool. We can see how he manage to return the mighty Torres back on the fray after being play badly under former Fulham manager Hodgson. This is proved by the brace he scored against out form Chelsea for a famous 2-0 win at Anfield. After the match, we do have a clear idea that the striker will surely stick with the club under Dalgish Renaissance. But several days before 31st January, the striker handed in transfer request to Liverpool to join Chelsea FC, which have showed interested in Torres even at the last 24 hours of the transfer period. Fernando Torres finally joined Chelsea, accompany with Brazilian center back, David Luiz from Benfica.

3. Chelsea FC

Chelsea finally managed to find a suitable player to fills the number 9 shirts on. The man will be the former Atlético Madrid and Liverpool striker, Fernando Torres. From a first glance, it is a strange feeling to see torres wear a shirt others than the red color as both league and international football showed us the red is the only color he used to wear. The feeling can be reflected on the performance he showed us at the first half year playing for Chelsea FC. He looks to shy in front of goal, almost like a different Torres we know at Liverpool. The departures Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti looks out of idea to put Torres on the formation as the Spanish cannot make a good partnership with Didier Drogba at field. That leaves the Italian manager with a risk decision, to put either Drogba or Torres in front with the old formation 4-3-3. The formation fits well with Drogba, but not the El Nino. Torres also being subjected as he failed to score on the quarter final of the champions league against Manchester United of all opponent, where the Blues fans need to accept their side is not good enough to beat on form United. Ancelloti make a decision to start Torres first at the second leg of the match, and it not work well as he substitute Fernando for Drogba to deliver a good goal for Chelsea, before being shocked by Park Ji Sung swift goal in the same minutes. 

With the dissapointed Champions League campaign for the Blues, Ancelloti focused  on achieving the next year champions league spot. Chelsea manage to be on par with the decisive match against United to decide which one is the right one to take the Barclays Premier League trophy. Once more, Chelsea fans being disappoint with a brilliant performance of The Red Devils with a 1-2 loss to United. Torres tried his best with 3 shots on goal, but no one past through Edwin Van Der Sar's goal. Torres finally managed to scored his first goal for Chelsea against West Ham United after 903 minutes seeking for a goal in a 3-0 win. He expressed his relieved over the goal to media, and says "I hope this is the start of many". But we still need to wait for the moment as he still struggled on field.

Although the first season for Torres at Chelsea is quite awful, we know somehow he can find again the deadly touch he used to have in the performances he shows on his previous club and international level. He is also a normal human being, and have a time where he is fail to meet the expectation we are hoping he can achieved. :)