Posts Tagged ‘Fernando Torres’

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Injury to Torres causes further worries to Liverpool

February 26th, 2009

Fernando Torres is all set to miss the coming Premiership encounter against Middlesbrough on Saturday at The Riverside Stadium.

The Liverpool striker picked up a severe injury in his ankle during his side’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday in the Champions League.

The Spaniard was barely able to move and limped out from the field after 61 minutes of the game.

Now, Rafael Benitez, Liverpool Boss, has no idea about the time that may require for Torres to come back. Tension in Rafa’s mind is understandable, as the striker gets counted amongst the prized asset for the Reds.

During a post-match interview, Benitez said, ‘I have no idea about the current situation with Torres. Yes, there are possibilities that he may miss some games, but how many is what I would also wish to know.’

‘We have a game at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough in three days. However, it is going to be difficult for him to be fully fit within this short span.’

The injury to Torres is going to come as a major hit to the preparation of Benitez’s side, as they are attempting to close in the seven-point gap, which currently separates them from Manchester United, who are sitting pretty at the top of the table.

Following their trip to the Riverside Stadium, Liverpool is going to face Sunderland at Anfield. According to Benitez, there is a very slim possibility of Torres to be fit for this game.

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Torres thanks Rafael Benitez for bringing him to England

February 16th, 2009

Liverpool Striker, Fernando Torres, thanked Rafael Benitez for getting him to England and helping him in improving his game.

During his first year at Anfield in 2007, Spanish international netted 33 times that made it a brilliant campaign for him, after he became the record signing of the club.

This has been a tough season for the EURO 2008 star, as he has been out of most games with injuries and scored only nine goals in sporadic burst.

Despite the troubles he is currently facing in England, Torres does not regret leaving Atletico Madrid.

24-year-old star said, ‘English football, with its fast and direct style of play, has worked well for me. Again, fewer stoppages have allowed me to concentrate better in my game.’

‘Speed & power, two qualities that are natural to me, fits the Premier League perfectly.’

‘I’ve been playing as a #9 up along side centre-backs. In case, I would have still represented a Spanish club, my style was sure to fail as I would have hardly seen the ball.’

‘Rafa was in search of a striker, who had my traits: quick feet for surprising defenders and getting behind them.’

‘Rafa is more fundamental than others and gives preference to the game’s statistical side. I have learnt a lot from him. It has been a pleasure, so far, to work for him.’

‘At Atletico, I was an instinct player and did my own thing. However, Rafa has made me know more about positioning oneself during the game that can run players ragged.’

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Benitez: Torres will be soon back in action

December 5th, 2008

Liverpool Boss, Rafael Benitez, has confirmed that the hamstring injury of striker Fernando Torres is not as worse as it was first believed.

Spanish International’s hamstring was injured during a Champions League encounter against Marseille. It was believed that he’s going to be out of action for over 2 weeks.

Initially, it was rumored that 24-year-old striker might stay out of action for a longer duration after he visited a specialist in Spain.

This hamstring injury is the second one that Torres has picked up in the season. He picked up his first during an international game for Spain and his boss Benitez insisted that they wanted to sort this problem for good.

Rafa told the official website of the club, ‘Torres has been improving fast and I am hopeful that he’ll make a comeback sooner rather later.’

‘It is just the fact that we need to wait for the player rather than pressurize him. I spend the day with him today and found him doing okay.’

‘He is playing with immense confidence these days and your confidence can help you to get fit soon.’

‘Everything’s going great and I feel it’ll be about the moment that we predicted before, if not less.’

Speaking on the specialist Benitez said, ‘It was only for confirming our diagnosis. This injury was the recurrence of the one that he had before.’

‘We’re really happy, as now we know his problem and can find its solution. We’ll just require to work hard on keeping Torres fit and things will be okay.’

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Benitez: I have the strongest ever Liverpool squad

October 18th, 2008

Rafael Benitez, Liverpool boss, believes that his present team is stronger than what he ever had since his arrival at Anfield.

Liverpool will be having a testing clash against Wigan Athletic in their home ground without their main striker Fernando Torres.

Torres has pulled a hamstring while he was on international duty for Spain last week on Wednesday.

Rafa is quite confident in spite of such a high profile absentee in his team. He feels that his squad has enough bench strength and can overcome Torres’ absence.

Reds have already beaten the current Premier League Champions, Manchester United, at Anfield without their prolific Spanish hitman starting the game.

They had a 2-1 victory in the game with Steven Gerrard used as a late substitute marking the depth in their squad.

During an interview, Benitez said ‘Everyone should look at the positive side. The best thing for Liverpool was beating United without their two great players.’

Spaniard added ‘My players got tremendous confidence after win over the Red Devils.’

‘Both the players were pushing me, so that I can play them before that game. However, I had strong faith and belief in my other players, which ultimately paid off.”

‘We failed to have the same quality players in the past. I am happy that we have them now and in big numbers too.’

Liverpool boss was feeling quite happy with the current performance of his team and it reflected on his words.

‘There are times when you have good talented players, but unity in the team is missing. But, it is fortunate that current Liverpool lot has both the features.’

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Hughes: Liverpool is a genuine title contender

October 4th, 2008

Manchester City Boss, Mark Hughes, feels that Liverpool is a genuine title contender considering the kind of consistency that they are showing this season.

Hughes was very impressed with Liverpool’s performance when they defeated PSV Eindhoven in the Champions league clash in the midweek.

City manager said ‘It has been a number of years for which Liverpool remained in the top four of the Premier League Standing.’

I feel that Liverpool will have a real go for winning the Premier League title this season. They have received a fabulous start and the best part is that they look strong, confident and assured.

Hughes admitted that it is a very big test for his team, as Reds are playing really well at this moment. However at the same time, he feels his side has the ammunition to deal with them.

‘We will require raising our playing standards against Liverpool at our home ground on Sunday.’

‘I have the services of players like Robinho, Wright Phillips, Jo and Dunne, who have the capability of handling pressure created by Liverpool.’

‘With the class on show during the game, only the team playing to the best of their ability will be victorious.’

Meanwhile, Hughes will be keeping his fingers crossed for the status of central defender, Richard Dunne’s injury.

Dunne is currently carrying a hamstring injury. City will be hoping for his recovery before the Liverpool clash, as he has an important role to play for the Eastlands club against the likes of Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane.

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Rafa expects more from Fernando Torres

October 1st, 2008

Liverpool’s manager Rafael Benitez feels that there is lot more to come from Fernando Torres. His comments came after a double strike from Spanish International allowed Liverpool to win 2-0 in the Merseyside derby against Everton.

Throughout the first few weeks of the season, the striker looked totally flat. Even before this weekend, Torres has failed to score a goal in the recent games.

But after his performance at Goodision Park, the manager believes that Torres will grow much stronger with the season’s progress.

Speaking to Liverpool Echo, Benitez said that it was very important for Torres to start scoring goals, so his double strike in the derby match was really huge for him.

The manager also added that Torres is a kind of player, who is capable of changing a game.

Rafa said ‘It is a positive sign for our team that Torres is confident now.’

‘Torres is a real threat for opponent’s defenders and presently if he is missing something, it is his physical strength. He is yet to make a full recovery from his injury.

‘Fernando knows his week points. He is also aware of the fact that he has a lot to improve.’

Torres scored 33 goals in the previous season for the Reds, but has not turned up well this season. However, his manager will be pleased, if he takes his tally to 32 this season.

Meanwhile, Torres expressed his gratitude towards Robbie Keane and Dirk Kuyt for their contribution to his goals in the Merseyside derby.

Torres said ‘Without Robbie and Dirk, I wouldn’t have scored the goals in the Everton game. I can learn a lot playing along side two of the best players in the Premier League.’

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Liverpool Vs Everton: Torres strikes twice in a 2-0 win

September 28th, 2008

A full strength Liverpool side today clearly proved that when it comes to winning rival matches, there’s none better than them.

They defeated Everton 2 – 0 at Goodison Park in the Merseyrside Derby that witnessed this year’s Euro Cup hero Fernando Torres come back to goal scoring ways.

Liverpool started with the same side that drew against Stoke City last week. Tony Hibbert, who had a knee ligament operation last season, was back for the Toffees, and so was Mikel Arteta, who had recovered from flu just in time.

Everton almost capitalized in the fourteenth minute when a Mikel Arteta corner failed to get inside after getting headed by Tim Cahill.

Just after the second half, Yakubu was booked, and it was Torres, who continuously appealed to the referee about tough defending in the Everton box.

Torres answered the tough Everton defending by scoring two goals within 3 minutes and breaking his season’s goal drought.

It could have been much worse for the home side, if two more goals from Torres would have been allowed by referee Mike Riley: One was disallowed for a foul and the other due to the ball going out of bounds before the goal was scored.

After a 2-0 win, Benitez was all praise for Torres and said that his efforts in the 10-minute period of the second half won the game for Liverpool.

Meanwhile at Riverside Stadium, West Bromwich Albion won 1-0 against Middlesbrough as Jonas Olsson scored in the 53rd minute. Again, Zola’s West Ham scored a 2-1 victory over a 10-men Fulham at Cravens Cottage.

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Torres and Gerrard fit for the game against Red Devils

September 13th, 2008

Liverpool stars Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres has been declared fit for their side’s crucial game against Manchester United at Anfield.

This news will bring relief to the home side along with their manager Rafael Benitez.

Rafael Benitez’s dream of fielding his best side against the current Premier League Champions has come true and it might make the game all the more interesting.

A delighted Benitez said ‘Both of them are feeling much better.’

‘They went through a complete training session without much difficulty. Even though it was not a difficult training session, I feel that they will be fit to play the game and yes, they will be a part of the squad.’

‘Although I have several quality players in my squad, yet the impact these two have (especially Gerrard) is simply unmatchable. They have the potential to change the course of the game in a matter of seconds.’

Benitez praised his medical staff, who worked day and night to get his side back on their fit.

‘If it wouldn’t have been the effort of my medical staff, there was no chance of these players to make a quick recovery.’

Meanwhile, Manchester United Boss Sir Alex Ferguson has given a warning to Manchester City Boss Mark Hughes, after the latter said that City-Chelsea clash will be bigger than Man U-Liverpool.

Ferguson said ‘The passion and adrenaline rush seen before the North West Derby clash is unmatchable. Mark must have been dreaming when he felt that his side could take the limelight at any given stage.’

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Scholes: Man U vs. Liverpool to be an unpredictable clash

September 13th, 2008

Veteran midfielder Paul Scholes has stated that the coming Northwest Derby fixture against Liverpool is a game that can go either way with the World Cup qualification coming in between the preparations for the match.

Manchester United is to face Liverpool tomorrow at Anfield in a game, which will be the first of the ‘big four’ clashes this year. Looking at the league standings, things could not be more exciting.

Scholes has said that due to international matches being held as a part of World Cup 2010 qualifications, Manchester United had barely a chance to practice together as a squad with most of the players gone out to represent their countries including Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney, and the recent transfer, Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov.

Scholes has added that only four or five first team players were attending practice with the rest gone out for international duty. This interrupted the side’s practice in a massive manner.

Man U have won against Liverpool four of the last five times the clubs have met, and the last clash ended in a 3-0 beating of the Reds at Old Trafford.

The previous time Liverpool registered a win against United was on 18 Feb 2006 (quite some time before), and that too with a narrow margin of 1 goal.

This match may see the much awaited Man U debut for Berbatov, provided he surpasses stiff competition from Rooney and Tevez.

Meanwhile, Liverpool Boss Rafael Benitez will have a sigh of relief as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have been declared fit for the game.

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Benitez: Torres and Gerrard are important for United clash

September 10th, 2008

It is expected that Liverpool Boss Rafael Benitez might give an opportunity to Captain Steven Gerrard and Star forward Fernando Torres for proving their fitness ahead of an important clash against the current Premier League Champions, Manchester United.

However, the news is that Gerrard’s minor injury might not allow him to play against Red Devils. Still, the officials at Anfield are encouraged with the progress shown by Torres from his hamstring injury.

Benitez said ’It’s always tough to prepare for matches with important players on the injured list. We know that if any of the two are fit, we will have to use them even if they had minimal preparation.’

Benitez would love to have either of the two players in his side in this crunch match, as they are looking to break a deadlock against Red Devils, which has followed them since 2004.

‘Physios are working hard with the two players. However with very little practice, it will be a difficult decision for me, if both the players are fit.’

‘Gerrard has announced that he doesn’t want to make an appearance before the game against Manchester United. So, I feel the pressure of the decision might be reduced. However, I want both my star to play a role in the match, as only then we can win the game,’ Spaniard told the reporters.

Meanwhile, Manchester United Camp is rejuvenated with the inclusion of Dimitar Berbatov. With the number of attacking options that Sir Alex Ferguson will have against Liverpool, Benitez would require an innovative strategy to come out of this important encounter unscarred.

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