Torres testing Abramovich’s patience

By Ben McAleer on February 3, 2013

Chelsea’s Russian owner isn’t known for being a tolerant man. We are fast approaching the 10^th anniversary of Abramovich’s takeover of the Chelsea, as in the summer of 2003 he pursued his dream of owning the champions of Europe by purchasing the club. Nothing was going to get in his way, or more like no one. In his 9 and a half years of pulling the strings at the Blues, he has employed 10 managers, most recently the unpopular decision of hiring Rafa Benitez earlier this season. Even the highly rated Jose Mourinho, who won consecutive Premier League titles, failed to lift “old big ears”, and was sent packing.

After years of trying new managers with new styles, Roman’s dream became a reality. Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo wrote his name in the record books by leading the Blues to their first Champions League win, beating Bayern Munich on penalties in a dramatic final. But like a child, when Abramovich tasted success he wanted more, and in his eyes Di Matteo couldn’t provide that. Just hours after Chelsea lost to Juventus in the group stage of the European competition this season, which put them all but out of the tournament altogether, Di Matteo joined the list of sacked Chelsea managers. Over his near 10 years in London, Abramovich has shown he’s not prepared to change things in order to win, no matter the cost.

And Abramovich has shown he is willing to spend a lot of money to earn success, whatever risk that may carry. This summer he commissioned a £32 million transfer of 21 year old Belgian Eden Hazard. A lot of money for a kid who still had a lot to prove. Abramovich also spent a similar amount for Champions League winner Andriy Shevchenko, who could only muster 9 goals in his 48 appearances for the Stamford Bridge side. A flop which he still gets stick for by some fans, but a demonstration of his desire to conquer the footballing world. And so we get to the most famous of Abramovich’s transfers, the £50 million spent to sign Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. The 6^th highest transfer fee in world football, for a player who scored 65 goals in his 102 appearances for the Reds, as he tore up the record books at the club. After just 72 games, Torres had already scored 50 goals for the Merseyside team, being the fastest player in Liverpool’s history to score that amount.

So you can imagine the disappointment around Stamford Bridge as Torres, who is 2 away from reaching his 72^nd appearance for Chelsea, is far from his 50 goal tally he managed for their rivals at the same stage. A measly 14 goals in 70 appearances has split Blues fans in half. A divide in supporters, some arguing that the Spaniard should be sold, whilst others back their number 9 through thick and thin. It’s no secret Torres is struggling in London. Not only do the statistics show it, but the on field performances aren’t much to convince his followers that their faith is well placed either. Loss of speed, unconfident in his finishing, and an appearance of a lack of desire; these are features highlighted every weekend by the media, piling more pressure onto the striker. This is worsened by the press’s suggestions that managers are warned that if they drop Torres from the starting XI, there will be repercussions.

This season been a difficult year for Chelsea fans. Knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage, a bitter semi-final defeat to Swansea in the Capital One Cup overshadowed by Hazard’s controversial interaction with the Swansea ball boy, topped off by the Blues lying 13 points a drift from table toppers Manchester United. A gap that frankly is inexcusable for a club like Chelsea. United’s defence this season has been it’s weakest in years. They don’t seem to be able to go a game without conceding. Yet the deadly strike force the Red Devil’s hold have got them through the toughest of times. There is no comparison between United’s attack of Welbeck, Hernandez, Rooney and Van Persie and Chelsea’s thinned strike team of Ba and Torres. Chelsea have often been rescued this season by the midfield trio of Mata, Hazard and Oscar. But the three midfield musketeers won’t be able to continually hold the weight of a failing striker, and will need Torres to reignite some form.

So how long does Abramovich give it? It’s been 2 years since Torres joined Chelsea, and the world is still waiting for the Spaniard to light up the Stamford Bridge pitch. The Russian has given his manager’s much less time. Andre Villas-Boas was only given 9 months before being axed, and he had to manage with the struggling Spaniard as well. Abramovich seems desperate to prove his £50 million investment was well spent, and will sack anyone who can’t fix Fernando. Some rumours suggest Benitez was only brought in this season for Torres. The pair had a great relationship and understanding in their Liverpool days, but yet in the colours of blue and white, the 2 are both struggling together. There are still some fans backing Torres, but that number of supporters is reducing in size every match day. Abramovich has shown he will do anything to win, but does that include admitting defeat with Torres?

In the summer of 2012 Abramovich spoke to the pressured Torres, who was unhappy with how the team played with Drogba upfront compared to him. Drogba’s physical presence in the air added a new dynamic for Chelsea when they needed to play the long ball, something Torres couldn’t do. But when Drogba left for China, Abramovich told Torres that he would be the number one striker at the club for the upcoming season. Despite rumours of Atletico Madrid’s Columbian striker Falcao being linked with Chelsea, Abramovich stuck by his word and let Torres be the leading force in Chelsea’s defence of their European champions status. Incidentally, Falcao has scored 18 goals in just 18 games this season, more than Torres has scored in 2 years at Chelsea. Those 18 goals don’t include the stunning hat trick he scored against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup Final in a dominating 4-1 victory for Atletico Madrid. I was lucky enough to be at that game and was based in front of the Atletico fans, and was stunned at their support for their former number 9, now in a blue shirt. There were banners with Torres’s name on, applause and cheers when he warmed up and fans with him still on their shirt. The Atletico fans clearly still like Torres and would love to have him back. Interestingly he still likes the Club. He spoke out before that game of how they would always have a special place in his heart.

So it seems logical to suggest the best route for Chelsea would be in the summer to offer Torres plus cash for Falcao. It seems safe to say that Chelsea are far from winning the league, and are relying too much on their midfield trio. United have Rooney and RVP, City have Aguero, Tevez and super sub Dzeko, and Chelsea have a dead weight, and have done for two years now. It may seem harsh, but the sad reality is that a £50 million striker is claimed to be “showing signs of improvement” because he made a couple of runs near the area. Or that fans all over social media say “Torres is back” because he scored a tap in, or a decent finish against a League 1 side. For Chelsea to return to the dominant force they were, they need a reliable striker. An Aguero. A Robin Van Persie. Otherwise they are always going to be struggling for goals and success. Some fans may be disappointed to see Torres leave, but surely Abramovich has to have a time where enough is enough, and he cuts his losses short. He has already upset fans with the appointment of Benitez as interim manager, there would be a lot of disappointment amongst the supporters if they were to see the chance of signing the sensational Falcao disappear because of their owners blind fight not to see his £50 million investment proved to be a waste.

Dan Eyre

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