Saturday, July 26, 2008

Torres Desperate For Kop Glory


After steering Spain to glory at EURO 2008, Fernando Torres hopes to guide Liverpool back to winning ways this season.

Torres capped off a remarkable 2007-08 campaign by scoring the only goal in the final as la Furia Roja downed Germany last month to claim their first title since 1964.

The silky striker established himself as an undisputed Kop favourite during his first term at Anfield, netting 33 times and forging a near-telepathic understanding with Reds captain Steven Gerrard.

But even that was not enough to secure silverware, as a mid-season slump saw the Merseyside giants bow out of Premier League contention by January, while they also fell short in cup play.

It is now 18 years since Liverpool collected their last league title, and Torres is desperate to help end that drought.

"Euro 2008 was my first major title, but I don't want it to end here," he said in The Mirror.

"I want it to be the first of many titles because I want to win trophies with Liverpool. I know how much that would mean to the club and the fans.

"They gave me terrific support during Euro 2008 and I know that they were cheering for Spain, which is something I will never forget."

Torres went on to praise Rafael Benitez, insisting the Reds boss played a huge part in his success for both club and country.

"The goals I scored for Liverpool last season gave me the confidence I needed to take into the Euros," the ex-Atletico Madrid man continued.

"I have to thank Rafa and the staff for the help they have given me. I improved as a player because of them.

"Rafa is obsessed with details and he even had a programme worked out for me before I got here last summer. He makes crazy demands on us. At the end of training, when we're all tired, he can still make us repeat routines 20 or 30 times."

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