By David Lee Wheatley (Twitter: @davewh1980)
Fernando
Torres said he knew the writing was on the wall the very minute that Diego
Costa pitched up at Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid in a multi-million
pound deal. Despite initial denials to the contrary from Blues boss Jose
Mourinho, the Spaniard was on his way out of the door.
The
£50million man has suffered one setback after another at Chelsea since his
astonishing move from Liverpool in 2011, with his personal form contrasting
sharply with that of his time at Anfield.
Torres’ fall
from grace has been both spectacular and well-documented, with many an observer
proclaiming the end of the Spaniards’ career at the top-level for at least the
last couple of seasons. A knee operation while still on Merseyside in January
2010 was widely pinpointed as the moment everything went wrong for the
once-prolific forward.
In spite of
all the criticism, the Madrid-born striker managed to collect a significant
amount of silverware during his stay in west London, playing a major part as
Chelsea claimed the UEFA Champions’ League crown in 2012. However, he has been
subjected to the usual ‘what a waste of money’ chants right across the country,
while also looking a yard off the pace on many occasions. Additionally, his inexplicable
loss of goal-scoring prowess has seen him spiral downwards from being classed
as one of the deadliest strikers on the planet to becoming a ridiculed figure
in some quarters due to several glaring misses in front of goal.
A new dawn is
upon him with a two-year loan switch to Serie A and Milan having been completed
shortly before the summer transfer window closed. The Rossoneri have been in
the market for a new no. 9 since Mario Balotelli jumped ship to join Torres’
former club Liverpool in August and they earmarked El Nino as the perfect person
to replace Super Mario at the San Siro. They appear determined to help rekindle
the Spain international’s appetite for the game following his hugely
frustrating descent from greatness over the last few years.
Whether
Torres can return to his sparkling form of pre-2010 at the age of 30 is highly debatable
and, quite frankly, unlikely. It seems his best days are firmly behind him and
certainly there has been very little evidence to suggest otherwise within the
previous four years or so.
Italian football
remains notoriously difficult for attacking players to score an abundance of
goals due to the defensive nature of the game in the Calcio-mad country. It isn’t
quite as hard as perhaps it was in the 80s for example, when it was unusual to
see anybody hitting 20-plus strikes in the top-flight, but it’s still hard
going for forwards.
Last season’s
top-scorer was Ciro Immobile, then of Torino, with 22 league strikes. A total
anywhere close to that from Torres in a Milan shirt would represent a very fine
campaign for the one-time World Cup winner, especially when considering his
meagre contribution of five goals for Chelsea in the Premier League during 2013/14.
It’s been a
rough ride since that 2010 surgery took place, which seemingly robbed Torres of
his pace and a fair dose of confidence, just when he should have been enjoying
the absolute prime of his footballing life. A new beginning at the San Siro
will undoubtedly do the player good, with the opportunity to start afresh in a
new league, in front of excited fans desperate to witness the return of the real
Fernando Torres.
However, if
this latest adventure in northern Italy doesn’t work out well for Torres, then we
can surely kiss goodbye to the old Fernando forever.
Follow me on Twitter @davewh1980
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