Liverpool FC Forum

[red37]

Not seen this up here, apologies if its been duplicated. Taken from RAWK btw - Then again what isn't these days! Anyhow...


Interview with Guillem Balague concerning recent reports about Torres being linked with a move away from Anfield amongst other snippets. With an added piece from elsewhere, talking about the merits of having Dirk Kuyt in the side:



Guillem:
What do you have to say regarding a possible bid from Chelsea?

Fernando Torres:
I want to say very clearly that I’m not on the market and it is my desire to continue at Liverpool. I’m very happy at Liverpool and I want to carry on.

Guillem:
Did you fulfil all of your objectives this season? The statistics are spectacular:  you’ve broken Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s record as the most prolific foreign player in a debut season with 24 league goals; you’re the most prolific Liverpool striker since Robbie Fowler and you’ve scored in eight consecutive matches at Anfield. What’s next?

Torres:     
I did all of that in a short space of time and I did meet some objectives: I was successful in not having a problem with adapting, because that had been worrying me. Liverpool paid a lot of money for me and, if you struggle to adapt, people start to get nervous and that’s when the doubts start creeping in: I might even have started to doubt myself.

However, as a collective, we didn’t meet our objectives. I came here to win trophies. In any case, I have many years left on my contract, and I expect to win some silverware. I’ve gone through things I’d never experienced before, like playing in a Champions League semi final, and now that I’ve come within touching distance of glory, I want it all. I now know what it means to be a Champion, and that has made me even hungrier for success.

Guillem:     
If we had to find a fault, is it not true that almost all of your goals last season were scored at Anfield?

Torres:
There always has to be room for improvement. Next season I hope to continue in the same vein at Anfield and to improve away from home. I’ve scored at other grounds in other competitions, but it’s true that, in the Premier League, I’ve found it more difficult. I now have a target for next season.

Guillem:
You used to follow the Premier League on television, but playing in it is another thing altogether...

Torres:
It’s a different style of football. I came knowing what to expect, but on many occasions the intensity can still be overwhelming and take you by surprise. The Champions League games against Chelsea are an example of that: they are a team with a lot of committed, capable players who are physically and mentally very strong. I like to come up against these players because it makes me a better player. I’ve also discovered that defending is more complicated than in Spain, because even though you know how your opponent plays, it’s difficult to stop them when the ballspends so much time in the air and there are so few tactics. This style of play cost us a lot of points and in the end we were unable to compete with the clubs at the top.

Guillem:
Rafa Benítez has already warned you that your second season is going to be trickier…

Torres:
I agree that the second season is always the more difficult. People know all about me now, although I know more about my opponents as well, and I know how to take advantage of their weaknesses. But there’s no doubt that I will have to account for the fact that I am better known from now on.

Guillem:
Steven Gerrard has said that it’s down to the club to make every effort to improve upon this season…

Torres:
I totally agree. In order to compete with Manchester United and Chelsea, if we can’t keep up with them economically, then we have to get it absolutely right in the transfer market. It’s clear that they have a lot of 20 or 25 million pound players, and that difference is what separates us in the league table. I hope that the club does what needs to be done and we can quickly catch them up.

Guillem:     
What’s your best memory of the season?

Torres:       
The Champions League game against Chelsea is etched on my mind and while it’s not the best memory, it’s certainly the most striking: the passage of play around that wretched penalty and the third goal that settled the tie. A year’s work undone by a couple of acts of bad luck.

Guillem:
There were question marks over your injury in that game…

Torres:
I felt some discomfort and the coach decided to substitute me. The manager always wants what’s best for the team. He spoke with me just before extra time and it is true that I was experiencing some discomfort.

Guillem:
You’re being compared with some great players from Liverpool’s past. Isn’t it a bit soon for all that?

Torres:
When things are going well, and people are happy with my work, you always get compared with the best. But for things to stay that way, you’ve got to keep working hard. If things don’t turn out the same next season, you’ll see how quickly all of that is forgotten. It’s up to me to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Guillem:
There has also been some infighting at Liverpool and an unsettling situation with the owners. Has that affected you?

Torres:
It may have had more of an effect upon my team mates; but the truth is, that between the language and the fact that I don’t pay much attention to that stuff, or to any of the problems, that it hasn’t affected me. At Atletico Madrid I saw how even smaller problems can effect everyone at the club, right down to the last employee, and that can be damaging. This is a big club that knows how to isolate you from those issues in order to stay competitive.

Guillem:
Euro 2008 has arrived, with all the hopes and fears of an entire country hooked on the tournament; does that create false expectations?

Torres:
I don’t believe they’re false, but they are unnecessary. The favourites tag doesn’t suit us: we’re not. The favourite is a team like Italy that has just won the World Cup; or France, runners up at the World Cup and European Champions I don’t know how many times.

It’s all the rage to say that we are going to win and it seems like we’ve already been labelled as having almost won it.They’re counting on us, and they use these terms to generate hope, but at the end of the day, that gets confused with an obligation. Just imagine, if we reach the semi finals, we’ll have bettered many generations of the national team: teams as famous, or even more so, than ourselves. We want to win and I believe that we have a chance, with some very useful players. This creates unnecessary expectations and if this tournament doesn’t turn out well, it gives the impression that everything we’ve achieved has been for nothing. And it’s not like that. We’ve been through some bad times, before reaching Austria, but we came through and, if things go badly, we’ll come through again.

But I can assure you, we do not need these false expectations.

Guillem:
I don't think I'm mistaken when I say that these kinds of expectations have hampered many of the players in the England team. Some of them have not even wanted to get picked for that very reason. I get the impression that this hasn't happened yet with the Spanish national side...

Torres:
I can only speak for myself, not for the others. But nobody’s going to take away that thrill. We haven’t won anything for a very long time, and we want to go down in history. It’s true that the European Championships haven’t come at the best time for the players, nor did the qualifiers: shoehorned in to a packed fixture schedule; but everyone wants to play in a competition like this or in a World Cup.

Sometimes, you might not fancy a friendly on the other side of the planet, but we all want to play for the national team and that’s what you must go through. We know that to take part in the tournament this summer, it’s necessary to play those other, less interesting, fixtures.

Guillem:   
Would you be so bold as to predict who is going to be the player of the tournament?

Torres:
I hope it will be someone from the Spanish side. I think it’s going to be Cesc Fabregas. The rest of the world is going to find out that he is one of the best players in the world. In England, we already know that.

************************************************

Kuyt related. Again, ripped from RAWK. (Lazy mods eh)


"This Liverpool side also works its socks off. Dirk Kuyt, for example, is spectacular in how cleverly and how hard he works to make sure I get top-quality possession near goal."

"We've a Spanish goalkeeping coach and he has been a genius at telling me every week exactly what kind of task lies in front of me in the following match," said Torres.
 
"Nobody has ever worked with me like this before. It's outstanding. Basically, I know days before the next game exactly the best way to finish a chance against the keeper I'm about to face.
 
"Xavi Valero tells me precisely what each keeper tends to do - stay big, go down early, if they have a preferred side they try to push you to. It's vital information. I've refined the way I take chances as a result.
 

***********************************************

Great to hear in both cases that things are going well for FT. No surprise there. However, Kuyt (many peoples scapegoat) I feel deserves some warranted praise in the article. Again its nice to see - even though some may wish to disagree...it still portrays a positive aspect to his industrious ethic to the side which apparently is held in some higher regard than most would give credit for. In any case Fernando comes across increasingly, as a man  (a young one at that) with a very level head upon his shoulders - and i think he's a fantastic signing by Rafa.

[Bad Bob]

Nice read, that, Red.  I noted this little bit in today's Echo as well, with Torres talking about Chelsea's CBs.  I love the last paragraph...proves that this kid has a footballer's brain to go along with his killer instincts.

Fernando Torres hails Ricardo Carvalho as toughest opponent

Jun 5 2008

By Paul Walker, Liverpool Echo


FERNANDO TORRES has picked out Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho as the best of a bad bunch among defenders in the Premier League.

Torres insists defenders’ reliance on brawn over brain has made his life in England easier than expected.

The 24-year-old found the net 24 times in the top flight in 2007-08 - the most successful debut season ever by a foreigner in goalscoring terms.

And he insists he met his toughest opponent in Chelsea’s Portuguese centre-half, who he rates above Carvalho’s club mate and England captaincy candidate John Terry.

“Terry is captain so gets a much higher profile. But he’s only secondary to Carvalho,” Torres confessed. “Ricky is superb. He has every quality that is needed.”


Story continues Continue story
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Torres added: “The central defenders (in the Premier League) are usually big, strong, aggressive lads.

“I guess it is probably because of these characteristics that the majority think they can solve problems by getting tough with me.

“But the truth is most of them lack defensive positioning as a result of their reliance on strength and aggression and leave so much space for you to take advantage of.”

[Number 9]

He better watch what he says about the Prem League defenders,he may get proper kicked next season if he annoys the wrong ones!

Good articles btw!!

[metalhead]

Torres:
When things are going well, and people are happy with my work, you always get compared with the best. But for things to stay that way, you’ve got to keep working hard. If things don’t turn out the same next season, you’ll see how quickly all of that is forgotten. It’s up to me to make sure that doesn’t happen.

and here lies a big difference between C.Ronaldo's attitude(who thinks he is a legend already and special) and Torres'attitude.

[Dundalk]

A good read.

I don't think this guy could have pleased us much more than he has already. Scoring all them goals and keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

[account deleted by request]

Good read ,thanks

[red37]

I hope that the club does what needs to be done and we can quickly catch them up

    Me too.

[NANNY RED]

Crackin read that Red

Gentleman of the first degree

[Sabre]

Very interesting read indeed. It's good to know unsung people like Xavi Valero provide that kid of relevant and useful information to our players.

To be perfectly honest mates

“I guess it is probably because of these characteristics that the majority think they can solve problems by getting tough with me.

“But the truth is most of them lack defensive positioning as a result of their reliance on strength and aggression and leave so much space for you to take advantage of.”

I'm completely shocked with this statement. 


I for one think that the level of CB in England is outstanding, much better than in Spain. I say that as honestly as I say that the goalkeeping I see in England is quite poor.

Even a CB you probably didn't like much like Kvarme, when he came to Spain was  good for the standard of the Liga.


I thought Torres might say something along the lines that the less interruptions and more continuous game in England benefits his game (I think this is true), but I'd never expect him doubting about the positional strenghth of their rivals. Shocking, to be honest.

[PabloAimar]

“I guess it is probably because of these characteristics that the majority think they can solve problems by getting tough with me.

“But the truth is most of them lack defensive positioning as a result of their reliance on strength and aggression and leave so much space for you to take advantage of.”

I'm completely shocked with this statement. 


I for one think that the level of CB in England is outstanding, much better than in Spain. I say that as honestly as I say that the goalkeeping I see in England is quite poor.

Even a CB you probably didn't like much like Kvarme, when he came to Spain was  good for the standard of the Liga.


I thought Torres might say something along the lines that the less interruptions and more continuous game in England benefits his game (I think this is true), but I'd never expect him doubting about the positional strenghth of their rivals. Shocking, to be honest.

i think he's jus windin' em up mate... squeezin' their clits n dat

[Hotrod]

Torres is a true man which is so importent from the fans point of view my fav moument of the season would have to be when terry decked el nino at anfield in the league and after terry spent 20 mins screamin at him torres got up and gave him a friendly slap on the face an laughed showed what a god brian he has

[Greavesie]

Thanks for posting this, good read

[Toffeehater]

Goo dread , that the difference between torres and ronaldo . Attitude , while ronaldo has publicly come out and say he wants to joion real if they can Keep their promise to make him the mot expensive paid player in the world

[Roger Red Hat]

Torres = gent & a good scorer

ronaldo = good scorer (of penalties) & an arrogant n@b jockey

[sworth26]

Top Read that!