Torres Comments Could Signify Beginning of the End

Following the apparent recent criticism by Fernando Torres of his Chelsea team mates, we could be seeing the beginning of the Spanish striker's attempts to end his nightmare spell at Chelsea. 

Although the Spaniard has not set Chelsea alight, nowhere near in fact, it was surprising to see him as an unused substitute against Sunderland this past weekend. With Didier Drogba ruled out through injury the onus would have been on Torres to finally step up and make his mark at Chelsea. 

The feeling around Stamford Bridge at the beginning of the season was that this season would see the striker find his scoring touch once again. After all he looked incredibly sharp and back to his old ways against Stoke on the opening day of the season, and how a goal against the Potters would have helped him now. 

Andres Villa Boas's main concern when he came to Chelsea was always going to be the Torres and Drogba saga. However, his ageing squad and lack of pace in the Chelsea side is also a major issue. Villa Boas has gone some way in rectifying this; the introduction of Josh Mceachran and most recently Daniel Sturridge into the first team shows the manager is willing to give youth a try. 

The decision by Villas Boas to choose Sturridge ahead of Torres against Sunderland payed off and the young English man scored a wonderful back heeled goal against Steve Bruce's men. Then came the allegations of Torres referring to his team mates as 'old and slow' in a Spanish interview. This is no surprise following Torres's nightmare spell at Chelsea. 

Something has gone drastically wrong for the Spaniard at Chelsea; he has lost his confidence and self belief. He has also lost his touch and positioning abilities which are what made him the player he was at Liverpool. Whether or not this is down to the Chelsea personnel and type of play is debatable, one thing thats for sure is his time at Chelsea is entering a penultimate stage. 

This is it for Torres; he has been dropped from the first team and he has criticized his team mates, the fans have been patient enough as have the managers and the owner. On the eve of Chelsea's Champions League opener at home to Dortmund, Villa Boas has a massive decision on this hands. Does he start Torres in the hope of a reaction or does he go with Sturridge who was in fine form at the weekend?

A European game may suit Torres better than Sturridge and it may allow Chelsea fans to finally see a reaction from the disinterested looking Spaniard. Villa Boas knew he would be thrown in at the deep end at some stage; it’s now time for him to show off his 'Special' qualities. Torres on the other hand is running out of time and this may be his last chance. 

Exciting Season Ahead after Premiership Curtain Raise

If the first weekend of the Premiership season is anything to go by, then the season ahead may prove to be the most entertaining yet. In week one, we saw a potentially new Liverpool, the solidness of Chelsea with a sharp Fernando Torres, the return of hair on his head and a goal for Wayne Rooney, and to top it all off, the debut of a new Premiership sensation.

So the Premiership is back and once again our lives can feel fulfilled, as we have plenty to talk and argue about. Jamie Redknapp is back looking as well as ever, and he is joined by his new colleague, the infamous and not so handsome Gary Neville. However, everything is not rosy just yet in the Premiership garden, as wrinkles and grey hairs may be soon be appearing on certain Premiership managers.

One man who does not have to worry about that is Kenny Dalglish. His Liverpool side were very impressive in their first half performance against Sunderland, and it would be foolish to read too much into their tired second half performance, as it is the beginning of the season. Charlie Adam and the impressive Luis Suarez look like excellent signings, however, Liverpool still look a bit short in numbers, particularly in defence. Also, it should not be forgotten that Stephen Gerrard is yet to return to the side.

Chelsea kicked off the Super Sunday action away to Stoke City, which was always going to be a tough place to begin the season with. Tony Pulis is assembling a good side with Stoke; with the returning Jonathan Woodgate looking like an excellent purchase should he stay fit. New Chelsea manager Andres Villas Boas will have had a rude awakening at what the Premiership can muscle up after visiting the Britannia stadium. There are plenty of positives for Chelsea fans to take away from the game, with the sharpness and movement of Fernando Torres up front, being the main talking point. Chelsea has a sleeping giant in their camp, and should he wake, along with the imminent capture of Luka Modric, then they will once again be a force to be reckoned with in the Premiership.

Manchester United showed glimpses of brilliance against West Brom, and in the end it could be argued that they were lucky to come away with all three points. However, they never really looked like they got out of second gear, and they lost both centre halves to injury. Wayne Rooney looks to be nearing his best, while Ashley Young continues to look like he has been in the United squad for years. It looks as though Sir Alex Ferguson is content with his squad, and it remains to be seen whether or not he is correct. Tom Cleverley looks a real talent, and who’s to say he’s not good enough to step up to the plate for the United first team. Anderson also played well against West Brom, and this could finally be the time for the Brazilian to step up to the plate. The ever present Ryan Giggs and the returning Darren Fletcher, have also yet to kick a ball this season.

All eyes were on the Etihad Stadium Monday night, as the big spenders Manchester City got their season underway against the Premiership newcomers Swansea. The game was hyped up to be a real David versus Goliath confrontation, but Swansea played very well up until the hour mark. The resilience of Brendan Rogers’ side was finally broken, as the class of Manchester City proved to be too good for Swansea. However, it was a debutante and super sub that stole the show, as Sergio Auguero made his much anticipated debut for Manchester City. The silky Argentinean came off the bench to score twice, with his second strike an early contender for goal of the season. Before the game, all the talk was about whether or not Carlos Tevez would be staying at the club.The question is now, does Manchester City really need him, and how good will they be if he actually stays? The red half of Manchester must be at least a little bit worried.

To return to the topic of managers under pressure, Arsene Wenger could arguably be facing the biggest two weeks of his career. The Cesc Fabregas saga has finally been put to bed, and it looks likely that Samir Nasri will also be following him out of the club. Wenger has always been one to rely on youth and his patented worldwide scouting system; surely now he is going to splash the cash before the end of the transfer window. His side were lucky to overcome Udinese last night in the Champions League qualifiers, and surely now the Frenchman must be aware that his side is lacking seriously in all departments. Arsenal play Liverpool at the weekend, and if Dalglish’s side play anything like they did in the first half against Sunderland last weekend, then Arsene Wenger may get his wake up call a lot earlier than expected.

There’s an old saying, ‘don’t fix it if it isn’t broken’, this is most certainly not the case at the Emirates Stadium.