Liverpool’s lack of goal this season has sparked media to speculate whether the Reds need a striker in the January transfer window. Daily Mail has published a report yesterday, where they claimed Liverpool are ‘seriously considering a January move for Fernando Torres‘.
Torres, is currently on a two-year-loan deal with AC Milan from Chelsea, but it is widely reported that the Serie A giants want to end the deal early, due to his lack of goal scoring form, netting just once in 10 matches.
Chelsea might even consider bringing him back to London, given the injury worries of Diego Costa, but such options seem highly unlikely.
Furthermore, the report claims that Liverpool are plotting to sign him in January, with a view to make the move permanent. Mario Balotelli has mis-fired since his summer move from AC Milan, and he could be shipped off to Italy and in place Torres could be re-signed.
Should that happen, though highly unlikely, it would represent another worst piece of business from Liverpool. No way the Reds should entertain such thoughts, forget about considering it, for mainly two reasons.
Torres is a great player, or was, who still retains the cult figure status at Anfield, despite his acrimonious departure from the club in January 2011. His outstanding goal scoring record (65 goals in 102 Premier League games), ability to win matches single handedly, dazzling skills and breath taking finishes, have left the fans standing on their edge of the seat every time the boy from Madrid took the green blades of Anfield.
His form at Chelsea dipped drastically (20 league goals in 110 appearances) and with time he became a shadowy figure of what he used to be few years back. The same trend continued in Italy.
Torres’ entire game is based on pace and pace only. Of course he has the necessary intelligence to create space for himself, but his real charisma was to getting the better off the last defender with strength and out-run him with pace. And he had the requisite composure to finish a move in style that made him one of the world’s best during his time at Liverpool.
[polldaddy poll=8540306]One of the major problems faced by these type of players is, their career is often blighted by injuries, a la Michael Owen. Those twitchy hamstrings have taken a toll on his body – his pace deteriorated, and Torres left shooting fish in a barrel more than firing bazooka at a whale. Put it simply, at a time when he was supposed to reach his prime, he is dwindling in the twilight zone and clutching at straws to regain his old form.
He will never recover from this syndrome, it can only go downhill from here – with the same confidence in statistical probability that says a monkey left with a keyboard will one day produce a line from the Hamlet, clubs who take (are willing to take) gamble on him believe he will come good.
Secondly, and the most importantly, he is not the type of player Liverpool need at this moment.
Liverpool have long back moved from the fast counter-attacking Rafa Benitez’ style, where Torres excelled with Steven Gerrard operating from behind. Instead, Liverpool’s game is based on quick interchange of passes and brilliant movement on and off the ball.
Then again, Balotelli is not a natural fit at Liverpool either, but at least in his case, the argument runs that he brings (or tries to bring) another dimension to the attacking armoury through his direct style of play.
It’s better to be remembered at a club where your heroics are still honoured (even though you’ve passed on to this opportunity to be a club-icon) than failing it here and tarnish the good-old-idol-images left on behalf.
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