Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Benítez's Computer Studies Fire Torres For The Crunch At Chelsea

Fernando Torres has warned Chelsea he will improve his Champions League goals tally at Stamford Bridge tomorrow and avenge the frustration of his semi-final first-leg performance.

The Liverpool striker, whose 30 goals this season include five in the Champions League, was denied twice by Petr Cech in last week's game and endured a difficult contest against John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. But Torres claimed he has learned from the 1-1 draw at Anfield and is intent on puncturing Chelsea's renewed optimism by inspiring Liverpool to a third final appearance in four seasons.

"I have wanted to play against guys like John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho for a long time and they did me an honour by giving me a tough time," the Spain international said. "Now I'm going to try to respond to them by getting a couple of goals against Chelsea.

"Everybody dreams about playing in the Champions League and in the space of a few months I have gone from watching it on TV to having a part in it. I have already got plenty of memories. My goal at the San Siro when we beat Inter Milan 1-0, the 4-0 win over Marseille, and my goal in the 4-2 win over Arsenal. And now it is the turn of Chelsea."

Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benítez, has no fresh injury worries and Torres, rested for the 2-2 draw at Birmingham City on Saturday, has given an insight into the meticulous preparation of his compatriot, who he credits for his decision to leave Atletico Madrid last summer.

"Rafa Benítez is obsessed with details," Torres added. "He calculates everything, including runs and flights of the ball, and studies it on his computer. And if he tells you to stand five feet from the penalty spot, it's not in your best interests to be six feet from it. He'll show you that the extra distance makes the difference between a goal and a missed chance - and it has worked for me. He has great powers of seduction and he makes crazy demands on us. At the end of training, when we are all tired, he can still make us repeat routines 20 or 30 times."

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