The Road Ahead for Fernando Torres

Torres with the CL trophy

Frustrated Fernando

Fernando Torres' Chelsea career has been filled with extreme highs & lows. He has been part of a squad that has won both the FA Cup & the Champions League in the same season, but he's scored only 12 goals in 67 games for Chelsea.
                                                   
Mark Twain once said, "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, & statistics" . Yes, Torres' Chelsea stats are extremely poor. But statistics tell only one side of the story. 7 of Torres' 11 goals in the 2011-12 season came in the last 2 months, a late resurgence that shows a return to form for the £50 million man. Numerous assists have also helped him regain some of his confidence. Question is, will he ever truly return to form?

Here are 3 reasons why everyone (not just Chelsea fans, everyone!) should believe that Torres will return to form next season:-

Torres after scoring against Barcelona

1) Late resurgence towards the end of last season- As I highlighted before, Torres scored 7 goals in the last 2 months of the season. Those goals included a double against Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, a hat-trick against QPR & a goal against Barcelona that ensured us a spot in the Champions League final. Considering the fact that he had not scored for 24 games prior to his double against Leicester, his 7 goals in 2 months showed us that he is slowly regaining his confidence, & more importantly his form.  

2) Team will play to his strengths- When Fernando first arrived at Chelsea, he often appeared lost while on the field. That wasn't due to a lack of effort on his behalf, but mostly due to the fact that his new team-mates wouldn't necessarily play to his strengths. After years of playing a long-ball, back-against-the goal game that was suited to the strengths of Didier Drogba, the Chelsea midfield struggled to provide Torres with the kind of service he was accustomed to at Anfield. He was still making his customary runs, but there was no one there to provide that final ball to compliment the run. This changed slightly with the arrival of Juan Mata, but Chelsea still played a style of football that suited Drogba more than Torres. With the arrival of players like Eden Hazard & Marko Marin, expect plenty of quality service to be provided to the Spaniard. 

Fernando Torres, Chelsea's No. 9

3)  Currently Chelsea's main striker- The tear-filled departure of Didier Drogba has ensured that Fernando Torres is now Chelsea's No.1 choice to play as the lone striker. Daniel Sturridge would have been first-choice if he didn't experience a dip in form at almost the same time that Torres decided to find some of his own. The other option is Romelu Lukaku, but it seems likely that the 19-year old will be loaned out next season in order to get some game time. At Anfield, Torres was accustomed to being the No. 1 striker, and he repaid that confidence placed in him with plenty of goals. With Drogba no longer at the club, it seems likely that Torres will be top dog at Chelsea. It also seems likely that he will repay the club & the fans for keeping faith in him during his dark period that seems to be over now. 

My faith in El Nino is not blind. I have watched Torres since his Atletico Madrid days, & he was probably the only other Liverpool player I admired besides Steven Gerrard. Having seen him play for so long, I believe that his bad run of form, however long it may have lasted, was only a temporary thing. He appears to have put his past behind him, & looks set to spearhead Chelsea FC into a new era of greatness. Form is temporary, class is permanent. And Fernando Torres, Chelsea's No. 9, is pure class.