Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher insists there is nothing wrong with Fernando Torres but reckons the rest of the team has to improve if they are to help their star striker.
The Spain frontman failed to score for the seventh time in eight appearances this season in the goalless Europa League draw at FC Utrecht on Thursday night.
It has led to more questions about the 26-year-old’s form and confidence but Carragher said the problem was not with Torres but the service he was receiving. The forward fed on scraps for most of the match in the Netherlands and of the three half-chances which did fall his way one was ballooned over with his weaker left foot, one was well saved at the near post and the third saw him try to round goalkeeper Michel Vorm but take heavy touch and run the ball out of play.
Manager Roy Hodgson opted to field a midfield which had two defensive players in Lucas Leiva and Christian Poulsen with Joe Cole and Raul Meireles, who operate better centrally, either side of them.
As a result there was little created out wide and very few through-balls for the striker to run onto.
Carragher said tactics have to be modified in European away games but accepted that the players have to do more, especially at home to Blackpool in the Barclays Premier League tomorrow, to get the best out of Torres.
"I think Fernando had one chance and the keeper made a good save but we are not creating as much as we would like,’’ Carragher said.
"But obviously at home to Blackpool we want to create a lot more chances for Fernando.
"We are not a one-man show. Torres is not always going to get the ball and beat four or five players to score but history shows if we provide him with chances you are looking at getting 25 to 30 goals a season.
"If you give him chances he will score goals – at the moment we are not providing enough, but we are only seven or eight games into the season.
"I don’t think there is anything to worry about with Torres. It is up to ourselves to do more to help him."
Meanwhile Ian Holloway has backed Liverpool to cheer up their fans by overcoming their current problems – but hopes it will be his Blackpool side providing the entertainment at Anfield tomorrow.
"They have got all sorts of problems off the field which doesn’t help any football club and they need to get resolved for them to be the force that they need to be," Holloway said of this weekend’s opponents. "It is not that they want to be – they need to be, for their supporters, and I have got no doubt that will be the case in the future.
"But we have got to do our utmost to not let it be the case on Sunday.’’
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