Torres on our goalie coach

[johngibo YPC]

Thought it was interesting

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N...080605-1039.htm

[Hassony]

Didn't do his job properly against chelsea the c***

 

BrInG BaCk JoE cOrRiGaN

[psl]

Should have told him not to hit it straight at Cech. He made sure he knew before the second leg though.

[ChrisC]

Nice to see him acknowledging Kuyt as well.

[ali]

05-06-2008 Opinión FT from Fred's web

 

Torres: “Next season I hope to continue in the same vein”

 

 

 

 

The Spanish striker chats with Guillem Balague about life at Liverpool FC, the Premier League, and this summers Euro 2008

 

 

 

 

Fernando Torres enjoyed a chat with the Spanish journalist Guillem Balague. The young forward spoke openly about life on Merseyside and the upcoming European Championships. Guillem is a well-renowned sports writer and is a key fixture in Sky Sports' coverage of Spanish football.

 

 

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

 

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.

 

- 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?

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

- What’s your best memory of the season?

 

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.

 

- There were question marks over your injury in that game…

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

- 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...

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

[Big E]

Personally, I'd rather he wasn't telling people stuff like that. Maybe other clubs hadn't thought of doing that, and he's giving up a secret that could give others an avantage. Anything that gives you an edge keep to yourself I say,

[John am Rhein]

Surprised to hear him praising that useless tw*t Carvalho

[Guest Anders Honoré]

Surprised to hear him praising that useless tw*t Carvalho

 

He's terrific. It always surprises me that you, of all people, don't rate him.

 

I've actually grown fond of him for being such a snide and cynical evil genius.

[psl]

I think Carvalho is the best centre back in the league.

Edited June 6, 2008 by psl

[Mikey]

He's terrific. It always surprises me that you, of all people, don't rate him.

 

I've actually grown fond of him for being such a snide and cynical evil genius.

He's Chelsea's best defender by a country mile - John 'JT' Terry gets all the plaudits because he's a good old fashioned, thick as f*** English centre half while Carvalho is bloody brilliant.

[Ronnie Whelan]

Carvalho is quality. One of the best in the league for me.

[DaveLFC]

Personally, I'd rather he wasn't telling people stuff like that. Maybe other clubs hadn't thought of doing that, and he's giving up a secret that could give others an avantage. Anything that gives you an edge keep to yourself I say,

 

I'd be very surprised if there was a premiership club that didn't do that. It's not all jogging on a field you know.

[John am Rhein]

He's terrific. It always surprises me that you, of all people, don't rate him.

 

I've actually grown fond of him for being such a snide and cynical evil genius.

 

Interesting that so many people DO rate him.

 

His cheating is admirable, of course, but he doesn't seem to be such a good defender. Perhaps good at staying within his limitations (?)

[psl]

Interesting that so many people DO rate him.

 

His cheating is admirable, of course, but he doesn't seem to be such a good defender. Perhaps good at staying within his limitations (?)

 

What have you seen to suggest to you that he is not a good defender? Not having a go, just genuinely interested. He is good in the air, good in the tackle, reads the game well and gets away with shirt tugging, little trips etc better than anyone in the league. The difference in Chelsea's results when he is out of the team is clear.

[John am Rhein]

What have you seen to suggest to you that he is not a good defender? Not having a go, just genuinely interested. He is good in the air, good in the tackle, reads the game well and gets away with shirt tugging, little trips etc better than anyone in the league. The difference in Chelsea's results when he is out of the team is clear.

 

Just seen him easily beaten with the ball a few times too often.

 

So many people rate him - and not just on here - I guess there MUST be something in it. If Kaizer has stats to prove he's crap then I'll be convinced he's world class.

[Rich Gobey]

Has anyone got any pictures of Torres on our goalie coach, it would certainly fill a few depleted w***-banks for some on here.

[Atticus Finch]

I've actually grown fond of him for being such a snide and cynical evil genius.

 

I think he is the best around for that very reason as well. Dare I say it, but his style of play reminds me a lot of Baresi

[Guest Kaizer]

Just seen him easily beaten with the ball a few times too often.

 

So many people rate him - and not just on here - I guess there MUST be something in it. If Kaizer has stats to prove he's crap then I'll be convinced he's world class.

 

I actually think he is the best defender in the PL, he would be awesome together with Hyypia.

[ali]

For Ladies only

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ggYWcmiaNA