Life After Torres

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As the clock ticks away towards the end of the January transfer window, the events which have taken place during the past three days will shape the immediate future of this football club. The news that Liverpool and Chelsea agreed on terms and conditions for Torres to move to London was a bitter pill to swallow. Some may argue that it is now useless pondering on the why’s and how’s of this transfer mini soap-opera but many questions still remain unanswered and it is important to determine what exactly pushed Torres to the limit and hence his request to be transferred.

Getting used to Liverpool without Torres is one thing. It’s Torres playing for the Blues of Chelsea which will never be stomached. It would have been more acceptable if El Nino moved to another country. Chelsea play hosts to Liverpool next Sunday and it will be interesting to gauge the reaction of the Liverpool section inside Stamford Bridge. I’m pretty sure Torres will be in for rough treatment.

Torres is now history, and it’s time to move on and give some space to the new look Liverpool side featuring new additions, Luiz Suares – El Pistolero – and Andy Carroll. In Suarez Liverpool have a player who can create goals. Andy Carroll has a knack at being at the right place at the right time to head goalwards. Make no mistake, the Englishman is not only good in the air, he is also a frightening prospect when taking shots. It would be unfair to say that the class of Torres is lacking, although at first glance this seems to be sound judgement. Nonetheless, Liverpool have struck gold in bringing over these two players – future Liverpool teams will not be dependent on a single player to deliver the goods as was the case with Torres. Dalglish’s philosophy is to defend and attack as a team – it’s the build-up to the goal which is of most importance; how the goal is scored is irrelevant. Hence the reason why Suarez has been brought in. With Suarez, Meireles and Gerrard, Liverpool have a guaranteed super supply-line and I’m excluding Kelly and Johnson who many times kick-start attacks. Carroll will be asked to play infront of Suarez, Gerrard and Kuyt and latch onto passes and finish off. Focus will be on how to serve the forward player on a silver plate. Straightforward tactic, football made easy, total football. If Carroll is out injured, Suarez can take the role of main striker, but given his lack of Premiership experience, I believe Carroll will feature in this area for the time-being.

The team has been rocked by the departure of Torres. With an important game coming up in less than forty-eight hours, Dalglish and his coaching stuff need to ensure everybody is mentally fit to pull on the Red shirt and dispense of an irritating Stoke side. The players would have been the first to realise that Torres’ future lies elsewhere and will know that there’s no place for emotion in the wake of big money transfers. They will be buoyed by the apparent urgency of Liverpool’s owners to buy big. NESV mean business and have proven to be witty and determined in striking deals and negotiating Torres’ transfer. Let’s face it, fifty million for a player who is injury-prone is not bad, not bad at all.

As the Blues prepare to parade their latest expensive signing, Liverpool will want to usher the new arrivals in the squad as quickly as possible. Both players will know that the fees spent to bring them over to Anfield will carry inevitable pressures and only time will tell if both can withstand the burden of wearing the Red shirt. Undoubtedly, they will be thrown in the thick of it all on Wednesday and if either one or both can get debut goals, the sour experience borne out of Torres’ sudden departure will be instantly forgotten. This is also a time for others to step forward and stake a claim in making the grade to the first eleven.

This is a time to hold one’s head up high. We’ve weathered every storm so far and this latest setback will only serve to propel us forward, safe in the knowledge that the man behind Liverpool’s resurgence is a man of authority, charisma, class and stature.

See you next time.

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37 Comments

  1. I hope the traitorous scum Torres breaks his leg. There should be a ceremonial bonfire of Torres shirts outside Anfield at the weekend.

  2. Okay, this is how I see it!
    Torres was the present, loved, worshipped and he is gone. It hurts, but he is now history (difficult to even imagine that a week ago right?)
    I think Owen, a Liverpool lad, playing in a Man Utd shirt hurt more. Don’t you all?
    I think the Club is working well. They tried to hang on to Torres but he said he wanted to go, same for Carroll who handed in a transfer request the moment he knew the Reds were in for him.
    Suarez and Carroll are a positive and powerful pairing that will make us forget Torres by the end of the season. Mark my words!

  3. Bill, while I am as unhappy about Torres’ treachery we shouldn’t wish him such bad things. Imagine Newcastle fans wish Carroll’s legs to break and those wishes come true.

  4. Hey Bill, you daft cunt. Remember that Torres’ name is on the back of the shirt but the LFC badge is on the front. You going to be burning the club badge?

    God damn TalkSHITE loving idiots

  5. @Roy Yates: I think Karl is referring to the fans reaction to Torres at Anfield at the Stoke match this Wednesday, but I digress.

    You know what would make my blood boil? Chelsea going on to win the Champions League Final with a single Torres goal. Would you forget him then?

    1. Wah, I was thinking about Stoke true :) Give me a break, I’ve been overdosed with Liverpool news all weekend and today, and it’s time for me to pack up!

  6. Torres is gone. Roy Keane said footballers are pieces of meat. This time he exercised his right to leave first. Kenny has impressed me with his wit, authority, class and maturity. He will not want us to focus on Torres, instead on the players at the club now. Burning Torres shirts gives LFC bad press. The lad played well for us for a while. Lets send him on his way with good wishes, no matter how wrong and dubious he went about things.

  7. “As the Blues prepare to parade their latest expensive signing” What that young Greek lad? Oh you mean the other Blues not our free spending neighbours… :-)

  8. The Club is operating well, and 50 million for Torres is a good deal, especially since it was him that wanted out.
    With his money and Babel, the purchase of Carroll and Suarez comes in at a break even regime. So financially it’s positive, and there is still money to spend as NESV never imagined this scenario when the tranfer window opened and were prepared to spend 22 million on Suarez without blinking an eye.
    It’s all positive. We will be better.

  9. anteater says:

    “Bill, while I am as unhappy about Torres’ treachery we shouldn’t wish him such bad things. Imagine Newcastle fans wish Carroll’s legs to break and those wishes come true.”

    I don’t know if that was intended to be a joke or what, but I laughed a little. :P

    And Bill, there should NOT be a ceremonial bonfire of Torres shirts…ever! We’re Liverpool fans, we don’t steep that low. And it’s not the name on the back that you’re burning, it’s the crest on the front. Do you think Torres with his 170k weekly salery will care about his name being burnt?

    And I still have my old Number 10 Michael Owen kit from many years ago when I was a kid. I haven’t burnt it (I can’t find it) and I won’t.

    Remember the good he’s done, not the transfer request.

  10. Right on Sampson.
    Time to move on. Thanks Torres, we wish you well. Please don’t celebrate if you score against us though, but im sure you won’t need to be reminded.

  11. Another transfer window and although we have new owners, they haven’t exactly had to dip deep into their own pockets! Torres + Babel = Suarez + Carroll. We still need a winger and a left back!

  12. As gutted as I am, I think with Torres leaving we’ll be able to build a much more rounded, creatively attacking team.

    The problem with having a player like Torres in the side is that you always have to build around them. A player like Carroll, who’s not a massive household name, regardless of his transfer fee, will adapt to the tactics of the manager, rather than the tactics adapting to the player.

    We’ve got some cracking young midfield players coming through now, not to mention some brilliant establised ones (Gerrard, Meireles, Lucas and now Suarez as a deep lying forward) and if Kenny, and whoever replaces him in the summer (if anyone does) builds around an attacking and creative midfield, we could have a snowman upfront and we’d still score goals.

  13. I think its very sad that a Liverpool fans are burning shirts . And the way people talk about Torres is very sad as well.What happens if he comes out and says that he’s been pushed out of Liverpool. Lots of you think that its good to replace Torres with Caroll well you guys are mad. Some people thought it was good idea to replace Benitez with Hodgson and we all know what happened. Time will tell but i personally think that is big mistake by the club.He will help Chelsea win the league or the champions league . Life goes on but its very hard to take that he’ll be a Chelsea player.

  14. No olvidemos lo que Fernando nos hiso soñar. Liverpool fans are an example to the world, i can´t believe the decision of Torres but i´m more impress with the reaction of the fans. We can´t forget that Fernando make us dream, make us fly. We need to show him the things that he gonna miss, lets sing this sunday the song again, Fernando Torres Liverpool number nine, maybe this weekend he will understand that the desicion that he made is gonna be the worst decision in his life.

  15. i would blame benitez for the over reliance on torress,benitez sold all the british players to accomodate torress in the team..liverpool’s slump started since Alonso left due to Benitez’s mal man-management of players then he replaced alonso with an injury prone Aquilani..Anyway thats by gone now the focus would be on Reina if he as well would someday turn his back on us and we fans have the right to demand a 100% from all our players no more compassion shown to players underperforming all players must prove to us why they are wearing the red shirt..i wish the best to our new signings Suarez(street fighter) and Andy carroll(the agressive striker)

  16. After all that aggro we’ve just ended up with two players who are worse than the ones we sold. STILL no wingers, STILL no left back. GREAT business. Unfortunately for me this is the last straw. One by one they’ve gone including the manager. I hope NESV fix the club, I really do, but it is heartbreaking to be so close to the title and then so quickly miles away. The Dream Team is no more, the Rafalution is a memory, Istanbul seems like a fairytale. I just don’t think Daglish is the answer, but we now cannot attract high profile players or managers. This is the worst season that I can remember and probably the common feeling among most LFC supporters. It is just a matter of time before we lose Stevie and Pepe, it’s inevitable. I’ve supported LFC for 20 years, through all the highs and the lows but it just seems so bleek. I’d like to think that one day we will reign again, but another 20 years is a long time to wait. Thanks for the memories but enough is enough. So for now at least, as they say on Dragon’s Den, I’m out. YNWA :(

  17. I wish Nando all the best. We are LFC and the greatests club in Britain..and if he thinks that Chelsea are bigger and better than we are..then it’s probably better for him to be there. As Karl has correctly pointed out, he IS injury prone..and although he undoubtably is world class…his attitude is poor. He was woeful and sulky in the World Cup….now that was hardly LFC’s fault, when you consider the players that Spain have. He will be a surrounded by Frenchmen at Chelski..not sure how he will fit in.
    As a life long RED, I am only interested in players who want to wear our shirt with pride……if a player doesn’t know or understand our history…then, well…that is sad. I am not bitter or worried that he has gone..I feel in the last couple of months the club has improved tremendously. Debt free…Kenny back in charge and team is playing better..and Suarez will become a legend at LFC as the boy is tremendous..both in terms of ability and attitude. Ajax have had nothing but praise for him..and that says an awful lot in my opinion. Carrol is young and gifted..and with Kenny’s help will form a great partnership with Luis. We have a bright future…I say top 6 by end of season and a good run in Europa League too. Next season we will get back in the CL…so the future is bright..and we should all remember that…..and don’t go burning any shirts…as that is just plain daft. YNWA!

  18. I think Tony is bang on. While we’re horrified that Torres went to Chelsea there’s no point in burning his shirts. He brought LFC a lot of fantistic moments and we remember appauding him from the KOP as he warmed up on the side line. We wish him the best and thank him for the memories. Pity his departure was not to a Spanish or other european side. However I really hope he doesn’t celebrate if he bangs one in against us on Sunday. I also hope Peppe stays put and is not influenced by his Fernando’s departure.

  19. i can understand those people burning torres shirts and believe me torres will be upset by that, hes that sort of person; thats why we loved him, not just because hes a world class footballer. its a demonstration of how much pain they are in, that they want to set fire to something that was their prized possession; they once wore it with pride but now can no longer bear to even look at it. i felt like destroying all my torres stuff too but i didnt cos it cost a lot (i have loads) and i know i would regret it if i did.

    a part of me will always love torres but right now i cant even begin to think about forgiving him for what hes done and the manner in which it has happened. so unlike when he left atletico, (he returned to say farewell to their fans, nb he wasnt an unknown he was team captain since age 19) this time he slunk off before he was ran out of town. i’m sure he knows what he has done and oneday i hope to find out why he felt it was necessary to infict such pain and heartbreak on the fans who love him most, paid vast amounts to see him play week in week out.

    it hurts more than any other footballer leaving because torres made everyone man woman and child fall in love with him; he vowed to stay with us in sickness and in health, then just when we’re getting back on our feet he dumps us for that flash floozy called chelsea down in london. he couldnt have timed it worse, i could maybe have lived with it if he had gone over summer cos at least he would have given kenny a fair crack of the whip. all i can say is thankfully he was manager and not roy still.

    a fond memory off pitch is in 2008 the day the new kit was on sale, liverpool one shopping centre was a sea of red: 99% of people were wearing the new liverpool shirt, and 99% of them had TORRES printed on the back! i doubt he will get that level of adulation at chelsea and although hes actually a modest man i know he loves seeing his name on peoples shirts.

    another memory of him is conversations we used to have on facebook (i prefer twitter now) he has a wicked sense of humour and his written english is extremely good. he could be a stand-up comedian in english he’s that funny. i know it was really him because nobody could imagine him as that, but what confirmed it was when he wrote that it had started snowing when they had a barbecue, a year later he mentioned it in his book:)

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