| By Nicholas Spiller
Amidst the whirlwind of excitement around Chelsea’s Champions League final victory there is a large feeling of unease surrounding the club and its future. And yes, in the picture above that’s Torres about to miss an open goal shot versus Manchester United. Didier Drogba, the hero of Munich, announced that he will be departing Chelsea in the summer as his career drifts into the twilight. Manager Roberto Di Matteo, who re-awakened the team into winning an FA Cup and Champions League double is unsure of his future as well. Owner Roman Abromovich typically employs big name managers, and although Di Matteo did all that was asked of him, he may be shown the door. And then, 50 million pound man Fernando Torres decided to toss his hat into the speculation ring by declaring that he needs a larger role in the squad. Despite winning the Champions League in a penalty shootout, Torres was in tears because he didn’t start the game and didn’t get a chance to take a penalty. Oh poor, poor Fernando, wipe away all those tears. This is a pathetic cry for attention. Clearly “El Nino” (“The Kid”) lacks some maturity. Torres was hardly a striker in good form this season, amassing a grand total of 11 goals in 46 appearances. Recently, he did have some exciting moments such as his breakaway goal against Barcelona and his hat trick against Queens Park Rangers in a 6-1 drubbing. But these goals were in large part meaningless. None of them were game clinchers by any means and did little to overturn what was in large part, a wretched transfer by Chelsea. Fernando Torres never has played well for the London team. When he first arrived, it took over 900 minutes for him to find his first goal. This past season, he has had similar struggles. He went scoreless for over 24 hours of playing time between October and March, but continued to start under the guidance of previous manager, Andre Villas-Boas. All the while, Didier Drogba sat on the bench. He’s the one who actually had reason to complain. Remember this open goal miss versus Manchester United by Torres?
Amazingly though, it was Torres who declared his frustrations mere hours after the season ended, stating that he was to have talks with the club over his future role at the club. Hey Fernando, how about you do your talking on the pitch? Maybe score some goals? It is ridiculous that he would express his resentments about not starting when he did so little this season to merit that. He has been down right awful since his move from Liverpool. And yet, with Drogba’s departure, the club truly is in a transitioning period with its strikers. Torres will compete with youngsters Daniel Sturridge and Romelu Lukaku for the starters’ role. And if he can find his form, he could well become the lead striker for Chelsea. Why start all the future talk now? The most hilarious comment he made was, “It’s contradictory because I feel like I’m at a peak moment in my career.” Quite the contradiction! No Fernando, your peak was three years ago with Liverpool. You’ve been pretty much a laughing stock ever since and have lived off of that potential. Maybe some humility and respect is in order. Why not enjoy the fact that Chelsea continued to pay your ridiculous wages and didn’t ship you off to a 2nd division club until you started scoring goals again! Torres Top Five Misses Nicholas Spiller is a freelance soccer writer and can be reached at: nrspiller@gmail.com. |