Not since the days when footballs were made of head-me-if-you-dare heavy leather has something in the game caused so many defenders migraines. But even Superman has kryptonite. Fernando Torres can be neutralised — how to do so is the surprise.
You make him face a certain Premier League side and they are not Manchester United, not Chelsea and not Arsenal. There is one team the world’s deadliest centre-forward feels ineffective against: Aston Villa. During his brief but goal-studded career in English football, Torres has embarrassed Nemanja Vidic and got the better of the likes of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, yet put him in with Curtis Davies and Carlos Cuellar and — in his own mind at least — the Spaniard becomes tame.
“Last season we won against Chelsea, United and Arsenal but always you have some defenders who are really hard for you. The Aston Villa defenders, for me, are really difficult. I don’t know why,” Torres said. “I have never had a good game against them because they are very, very aggressive and are doing man-to-man over almost the whole pitch. I hope we can win away against them because at home we lost 3-1 [this season]. They are probably the hardest defenders for me.”
The Spaniard made his confession when launching his autobiography (Torres: El Niño — My Story) at Anfield on Thursday. In the defeat last month that he mentioned, he got his first goal in five encounters against Villa. Until then, they were the only team in the Premier League Torres had faced more than once and failed to score against. He was marked by Davies and Cuellar, who were also his opponents when he drew a blank against Villa (albeit in a 5-0 Liverpool victory) in March. Martin Laursen, Olof Mellberg and Gary Cahill are the other Villa centre-backs Torres has faced since moving to England in 2007.
He has scored 53 times in 90 appearances for Liverpool (before the win against West Ham) and earned a level of affection from fans of rivals clubs in England which, despite his achievements, was not afforded to Cristiano Ronaldo during his spell in the Premier League and has also eluded another prodigious forward imported from abroad, Didier Drogba.
Asked for the reasons, Torres pointed to his onfield conduct. The Spaniard has not been involved in a diving scandal while playing in England and has seldom taxed the patience of match officials, being booked just once in the league last season, despite a committed style of playing. “I think players have to show respect to everyone, not just the fans of their own team,” he said in reference to himself, Ronaldo and Drogba. “That is where respect is important, being honest and trying to play football just like a sport to enjoy — not doing the other things.”
Having picked out England and Brazil as the sides he feels will present the biggest obstacles to Spain at next year’s World Cup, Torres strengthened the mutual admiration pact between himself and the English when he discussed styles of play. Despite nursing a black eye from a brawny encounter with Burnley’s Clarke Carlisle and Andre Bikey last Saturday, the striker said he loved the muscular dimension to football in the Premier League. “Here the defenders are more honest,” he said. “They’re fighting for the ball, but they are honest. They’re just trying to fight to keep the ball. Here in England you fight and I really like this type of football.”
You make him face a certain Premier League side and they are not Manchester United, not Chelsea and not Arsenal. There is one team the world’s deadliest centre-forward feels ineffective against: Aston Villa. During his brief but goal-studded career in English football, Torres has embarrassed Nemanja Vidic and got the better of the likes of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, yet put him in with Curtis Davies and Carlos Cuellar and — in his own mind at least — the Spaniard becomes tame.
“Last season we won against Chelsea, United and Arsenal but always you have some defenders who are really hard for you. The Aston Villa defenders, for me, are really difficult. I don’t know why,” Torres said. “I have never had a good game against them because they are very, very aggressive and are doing man-to-man over almost the whole pitch. I hope we can win away against them because at home we lost 3-1 [this season]. They are probably the hardest defenders for me.”
The Spaniard made his confession when launching his autobiography (Torres: El Niño — My Story) at Anfield on Thursday. In the defeat last month that he mentioned, he got his first goal in five encounters against Villa. Until then, they were the only team in the Premier League Torres had faced more than once and failed to score against. He was marked by Davies and Cuellar, who were also his opponents when he drew a blank against Villa (albeit in a 5-0 Liverpool victory) in March. Martin Laursen, Olof Mellberg and Gary Cahill are the other Villa centre-backs Torres has faced since moving to England in 2007.
He has scored 53 times in 90 appearances for Liverpool (before the win against West Ham) and earned a level of affection from fans of rivals clubs in England which, despite his achievements, was not afforded to Cristiano Ronaldo during his spell in the Premier League and has also eluded another prodigious forward imported from abroad, Didier Drogba.
Asked for the reasons, Torres pointed to his onfield conduct. The Spaniard has not been involved in a diving scandal while playing in England and has seldom taxed the patience of match officials, being booked just once in the league last season, despite a committed style of playing. “I think players have to show respect to everyone, not just the fans of their own team,” he said in reference to himself, Ronaldo and Drogba. “That is where respect is important, being honest and trying to play football just like a sport to enjoy — not doing the other things.”
Having picked out England and Brazil as the sides he feels will present the biggest obstacles to Spain at next year’s World Cup, Torres strengthened the mutual admiration pact between himself and the English when he discussed styles of play. Despite nursing a black eye from a brawny encounter with Burnley’s Clarke Carlisle and Andre Bikey last Saturday, the striker said he loved the muscular dimension to football in the Premier League. “Here the defenders are more honest,” he said. “They’re fighting for the ball, but they are honest. They’re just trying to fight to keep the ball. Here in England you fight and I really like this type of football.”
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