Torres interview

[CarraLegend]

Some scary truths.

 

From teamtalk :

 

Fernando Torres says he will think about his Liverpool future if the Reds don't buy the players needed to turn them into top flight contenders.

 

Liverpool are currently sixth place in table, a point behind Tottenham and Manchester City having played more games than all of their main rivals for the fourth Champions League berth.

 

And having also failed in both domestic cup competitions and lost the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie with Lille on Thursday, it could end up being a season to forget for the Reds.

 

However, more than the quest to finish fourth, Torres believes the most important thing on Liverpool's horizon is that they make a major assault on the transfer market this summer.

 

When asked by Spanish newspaper AS if he planned to leave the Reds if they failed to qualify for the Champions League, Torres said: "It's too soon to talk, I honestly think that we're going to be fourth, but for me Champions League qualification isn't so important.

 

"The really important thing is that the club makes a big effort and brings in important players, who will improve the quality of the squad.

 

"We need four or five top-class players to compete, better than we have here, who will make us grit our teeth and do everything we can to try and keep our places.

 

"Without reinforcements next year we will once again be fighting to be fourth.

 

"I want to fight next year to win the Premier League, to win the Champions League or the Europa League, but for this there have to be signings."

 

Referred back to the initial question about his future, Torres added: "There are so many circumstances and so many things that you have to take into account that it is too soon to talk about that. But I have this and three more years of my contract.

 

"I've left my home and it's clear that I owe Liverpool many things, and I'm very happy here.

 

"The fans have treated my like one of their own, but I'm going to think about my future and hopefully it will be here. I think these fans deserve to win.

 

"Beyond thinking about me, I think the club deserve to get back to winning (trophies), but they know themselves that right now that it's far off.

 

"The fans are worried about players going, it's a problem when you start to fear that your players are going because you know it's because the club is not moving forward, but I don't think that is going to be the situation here.

 

"Since the arrival of (managing director) Christian Purslow Liverpool have had an important boost, we signed with a big-money sponsor to match Real Madrid, then things are going to go forward."

[Stevie]

That's him off then.

[Damian_de]

Stated clear as day - the effect of no investment last summer on how the players are thinking.

[Tones]

Hes right. we do need 4 or 5 first team quality players added to the squad. More important even that getting 4th.

[Epic Swindle]

I doubt there's many, if any, clubs who can afford to bring in 4 or 5 really top class players. If he means we need better squad players then yes, but they're always going to be hit and miss. While more quality is essential, it's our approach that needs sorting out first, and that's been the case for a while. If this current team played with a bit more swagger and intensity there's no way we'd be in this position.

[Tones]

I doubt there's many, if any, clubs who can afford to bring in 4 or 5 really top class players. If he means we need better squad players then yes, but they're always going to be hit and miss. While more quality is essential, it's our approach that needs sorting out first, and that's been the case for a while. If this current team played with a bit more swagger and intensity there's no way we'd be in this position.

 

Id say Fernando is thinking bigger and more long term than this current position. If we want to win the league and CL etc we need to get some more top quality players in.

[Sion]

4/5 class players doesn't always mean loads of money spent. a couple could be big signings, but it just as to be quality in the right places.

[Benzo-13]

I doubt there's many, if any, clubs who can afford to bring in 4 or 5 really top class players. If he means we need better squad players then yes, but they're always going to be hit and miss. While more quality is essential, it's our approach that needs sorting out first, and that's been the case for a while. If this current team played with a bit more swagger and intensity there's no way we'd be in this position.

 

Turan £12m? Kjær £12m?

Bin Riera and Skrtel to fund some of it? Its all a start.

 

We need a core squad of higher spec players.

He's right is Nando and this is his way of fighting off the pitch for us.

[Epic Swindle]

4/5 class players doesn't always mean loads of money spent. a couple could be big signings, but it just as to be quality in the right places.

 

Exactly, it's about the right player, and have we've seen in the past that constantly throwing big money at more basic problems doesn't always guarantee success. There does need to be serious investment in the team if we want to dominate in the long term, but if I'm honest I just don't think Rafa is the right man to spend it unless he changes his approach. I don't want to see attractive football, but with the quality we have when we are more positive not many teams can live with us, which is what I think frustrates fans the most.

 

To be fair, it's also about leadership from top to bottom, and unfortunately we're owned by people whose sole motivation is greed and coporate perks.

 

Turan £12m? Kjær £12m?

Bin Riera and Skrtel to fund some of it? Its all a start.

 

We need a core squad of higher spec players.

He's right is Nando and this is his way of fighting off the pitch for us.

 

I'm not sure of the exact figures but I'd agree that those are the type of players we should be boosting the quality of the squad with.

[Guest PaulMcC]

He's off then.

 

The owners wil be loving them quotes.

[Sion]

Turan £12m? Kjær £12m?

Bin Riera and Skrtel to fund some of it? Its all a start.

 

We need a core squad of higher spec players.

He's right is Nando and this is his way of fighting off the pitch for us.

 

Skrtel, Riera, Babel, Cavalieri, Aquilani are all saleable assets. They could raise close to £50m

 

Kjær 10m

Turan or Krasić 12-15m

Jovanavic - 0m

Steven Defour - £10m?

plus a LB.

promote young GK

 

would give us an awesome squad

would come to around £40-45m

 

we'd be breaking even and can get rid of Degen, Aurelio, Spearing, Darby to offset any wage bill increase + signing on fees.

 

It's sickening we won't come anywhere near to achieving it. Purslow's calculator will see to it.

[Jarg Armani]

United are after Defour, they never pay less than 18m for players.

 

Well you know what i mean, he'll cost more than 10 mil is what i mean.

[Nebraska Red]

as much as I love the message in the Torres interview, the cynic in me feels it will fall on deaf ears at the the highest level.

 

as much a we need quality in the squad, we need drive and desire from the players and the manager. you can't buy those qualities, they only come from inside the individuals.

 

I don't think any of us could blame Torres for leaving a club where his talents go under used because we give little or nothing to work with. the lad has so much skill and we give him hardly any opportunities to really show wha the is capable of.

[Benzo-13]

Skrtel, Riera, Babel, Cavalieri, Aquilani are all saleable assets. They could raise close to £50m

 

Kjær 10m

Turan or Krasić 12-15m

Jovanavic - 0m

Steven Defour - £10m?

plus a LB.

promote young GK

 

would give us an awesome squad

would come to around £40-45m

 

we'd be breaking even and can get rid of Degen, Aurelio, Spearing, Darby to offset any wage bill increase + signing on fees.

 

It's sickening we won't come anywhere near to achieving it. Purslow's calculator will see to it.

 

Left back?

 

I'd be looking at Figueroa, Ansaldi, Rui Felipe and Cissokho.

We can do a deal for someone like that alright.

 

If we can't get Defour go for Melo as he's outta favour at Juve.

[Guest PaulMcC]

He left his boyhood club to win trophies with us. If teh owners are making that very hard, no matter who the manager is, he'll leave.

 

We are looking at Figueroa.

 

Melo wouldn't be an improvement on what we have.

[Benzo-13]

He left his boyhood club to win trophies with us. If teh owners are making that very hard, no matter who the manager is, he'll leave.

 

We are looking at Figueroa.

 

Melo wouldn't be an improvement on what we have.

 

He'd be another body in midfield though and better cover than Plessis or Spearing.

 

To add to Sion's list we need another striker though..

Ideas withing budget as Jovanovic is going into a Yossi role.

Edited March 13, 2010 by Benzo-13

[Epic Swindle]

as much as I love the message in the Torres interview, the cynic in me feels it will fall on deaf ears at the the highest level.

 

as much a we need quality in the squad, we need drive and desire from the players and the manager. you can't buy those qualities, they only come from inside the individuals.

 

I don't think any of us could blame Torres for leaving a club where his talents go under used because we give little or nothing to work with. the lad has so much skill and we give him hardly any opportunities to really show wha the is capable of.

 

Agreed. And that's not going to change even with big investment in the squad unless Rafa starts trusting his players more and isn't just focused on nulifying the opposition until the latter stages of the season.

 

I've just been watching the Man City game from last season when we came from 2 down and the passing, movement, character and desire was light years away from what we're seeing currently. Bar Xabi and Arbeloa it's basically the same group of players.

[Guest PaulMcC]

He'd be another body in midfield though and better cover than Plessis or Spearing.

 

To add to Sion's list we need another striker though..

Ideas withing budget as Jovanovic is going into a Yossi role.

 

He won't come for cover, he starts a lot of games for Brazil and cost Juve 20m or something like that.

 

We need someone with a better passing range than him if we let Aquilani go. Roma want him back.

[aka Dus]

Torres is right in two ways: on behalf of himself because nobody could possibly be bitter about him leaving to try win trophies if it looks like we can't provide him team mates of sufficient standard, a tactical approach to help utilise the most out of his jaw dropping talent and participation at the business end of the big tournaments. And he's right on behalf of us fans too because he is doing what we want players/ex-players to do and get involved in the ownership debate by making it explicit where the current situation is taking us.

 

Of course a corollary to the second point is also an implicit critique of what we are doing and how we are doing it on the pitch.

[Epic Swindle]

I think I'd rather just use Gerrard in midfield and bring in a support striker. Joe Cole would be ideal on a free.

[Benzo-13]

He won't come for cover, he starts a lot of games for Brazil and cost Juve 20m or something like that.

 

We need someone with a better passing range than him if we let Aquilani go. Roma want him back.

 

Ok, then we drop Lucas?

 

That'd be daft lettin Aquilani go, we only got him fit so they could reap the rewards? Non-starter I hope.

 

I wouldn't be adverse to taking a risk on a striker who failed somewhere else who would suit our style better.

Like Elmander or something.

[Crazy Horse]

Ok, then we drop Lucas?

 

That'd be daft lettin Aquilani go, we only got him fit so they could reap the rewards? Non-starter I hope.

 

I wouldn't be adverse to taking a risk on a striker who failed somewhere else who would suit our style better.

Like Elmander or something.

 

Good grief. Go back and read that Torres interview again. Your post is the finest example of fiddling while Rome burns that I've ever seen.

 

What Torres has said there is certainly the most worrying thing I've heard from inside the club in a long time.

Edited March 13, 2010 by Crazy Horse

[pipnasty]

 

What Torres has said there is certainly the most worrying thing I've heard from inside the club in a long time.

 

 

Reina said it at the beginning of the season and Torres has said it now.

 

When will people actually realise that this is the main and most important reason why the players went into this season with their heads down and have continued in such a negative manner?

[Benzo-13]

Good grief. Go back and read that Torres interview again. Your post is the finest example of fiddling while Rome burns that I've ever seen.

 

What Torres has said there is certainly the most worrying thing I've heard from inside the club in a long time.

 

I was just responding to other stuff.

 

I'm deffo for getting the owners out but was just speculating on one possible future.

 

Again, this is Torres fighting the off field corner in the best way he can.

 

Reina said it at the beginning of the season and Torres has said it now.

 

When will people actually realise that this is the main and most important reason why the players went into this season with their heads down and have continued in such a negative manner?

 

There's also an argument that they should've been shielded from this... The pitch is their concern and what they're paid to do.

 

Mancs are in worse sh** and get on with it.

[stressederic]

There's also an argument that they should've been shielded from this... The pitch is their concern and what they're paid to do.

 

Mancs are in worse sh** and get on with it.

 

I said a while back that our players needed to get past this at somepoint and man up.

 

At the same time though it is understandable, after all United won the league and could take that into the new season.

 

Our players came within touching distance of it and went away that summer knowing that a few more players could push us over the top. They cam back for pre-season training and that investment needed never materialised. They must have been gutted.