Saturday, November 19, 2011

Reina - Torres Not Missed

Jose Reina insists Liverpool have not missed Fernando Torres since his departure to Chelsea due to the impressive form of Luis Suarez.

Torres was snapped up by the west London outfit for a blockbuster fee of £50 million, but has struggled to replicate the form that saw him plunder 81 goals in 141 appearances on Merseyside.

In the previous meeting between the two teams in February, Torres was withdrawn after 66 minutes in a game eventually decided by a Raul Meireles strike.

While Torres has struggled to find his rhythm, his replacement Suarez has flourished since his £22.8 million move from Ajax and is now a firm fans' favourite.

"Fernando is top class; Luis is as good or even better than Fernando," said Reds keeper Reina.

"Those players are really special. You don't find those kind of players very often.

"The club did a good job in signing Luis and hopefully he will be many years with us and hopefully he will score as many goals as Fernando."

Reina and Torres were very close during his time on Merseyside and even lived on the same street in Woolton.

The way Torres has struggled at Stamford Bridge has surprised most observers but his compatriot is confident he will regain his optimum form.

But hopefully it will be after Sunday, when the two sides face each other.

"He is the same player but it is a different team so it is difficult to judge (how he compares to his best form for Liverpool)," added Reina.

"I think there are a lot of periods when goalscorers' lives are like that. Sometimes you do it, sometimes you go through bad spells but Fernando does know how to score and is a very good player.

"With Juan Mata behind him he will deliver more goals and will be better. He is such a good player and he will be a real threat for us - not just him because they have a lot of good players that can create us problems."

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