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{ Fernando Torres lasted 66 minutes on his Chelsea debut with his new employers losing 1-0 to his former club Liverpool. Photograph: Sportsphoto/Richard Sellers

Fernando Torres says Liverpool caught Chelsea by surprise on his debut yesterday but remains confident that his new employers will have a say in the Premier League title race.

The £50m striker's much-hyped first appearance for Chelsea failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge and he was replaced after 66 minutes as Liverpool went on to win 1-0 through a goal from Raul Meireles.

"It was very difficult, Liverpool played a good game, with three at the back. We were not expecting that and maybe they took advantage," Torres told Chelsea TV.

"I think the fair result was the draw, it was unfair to lose that game, but now we are looking forwards to the next game and will keep fighting until the end. There are a lot of points still to play [for]."

After yesterday's disappointment Torres preferred to look on the positive welcome he received from the Stamford Bridge faithful.

"Obviously everyone wants to win, especially if it is their first game at home, but I will still have very good memories about my reception here and want to thank all of the Chelsea fans for that nice reception," he said.

"The result was not the best, but we have to keep going and fighting until the end."

Agences de presses

Labels: championship, Chelsea, Fernando, Guardian, hopeful, still, Torres

{ Fernando Torres remains upbeat despite being given a bloody nose by his old team-mates on his Chelsea debut. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

Fernando Torres has reacted defiantly after a "difficult" debut for Chelsea by insisting the champions will learn to flourish within Carlo Ancelotti's preferred diamond formation and will continue to fight to retain their Premier League title.

The striker has joined the Spain squad ahead of their friendly against Colombia on Wednesday having hardly adjusted to life as a Chelsea player following his £50m move on transfer deadline day. His disjointed performance and 66th-minute substitution in the defeat to his former club Liverpool on Sunday provided a dispiriting start to his career in London, though Torres believes he will prosper alongside the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka within the champions' ranks.

Ancelotti has indicated he will persevere at Fulham next Monday with the slightly rejigged diamond formation that had struggled to break down a stubborn Liverpool side. Asked whether the system can prove successful, Torres said: "Yes, I think so. As Carlo has said, when you have good players you have to try and keep the balance, keep working on the system.

"There are a lot of good players here and a lot of possibilities and chances to play. There are still a lot of games to come and we have to be ready to play in different positions. All that matters is the team.

"It was a very difficult [debut] because Liverpool played a good game, with three at the back. We were not expecting that and maybe they took advantage of that. We didn't create enough chances to score, but we had two or three controversial chances at the end when maybe we could have had a penalty. I think the fair result would have been the draw – it was unfair to lose that game – but now we are looking forward to the next game and will keep fighting until the end. There are a lot of points still to play [for]."

Defeat represented a missed opportunity for Chelsea, who continue to languish some 10 points behind the leaders, Manchester United, despite Sir Alex Ferguson's side suffering their first defeat of the campaign on Saturday. Yet, even with 13 games remaining, Chelsea retain hope of clawing their way back into the title race with two games against United still to come. Torres will need to be at his best for those contests and his former team-mate Jamie Carragher, so accomplished in snuffing out the Spaniard's threat on Sunday, is convinced the forward will prove his worth in a Chelsea shirt.

"I don't think any of the players had a problem with him," said Carragher. "He was a great player for us, and scored lots of goals. In our opinion we had the best striker in the world. Unfortunately these things happen in football, and we now have to focus on the players that have come. You wish him well. I've played against him in training many times, and he's a fantastic player. He and Drogba are probably two of the best strikers in the world, and I'm sure Fernando will be a fantastic signing for Chelsea. No doubt about that. Good luck to him."

The Liverpool goalkeeper José Reina said it had been "tough" to see his friend Torres depart but added: "Football is like that, as players we come and go. You have to understand his decision; he felt it was a good opportunity to continue developing. The club has to look forward and forget Fernando. He is not here any more and we can't do anything but wish him a lot of luck."

Addressing the fans' anger towards Torres, Reina said: "It's logical that people don't understand it but I think they have to make an effort and remember what he did for the club during these past three and a half years. He scored a lot of goals, he provided many entertaining afternoons of football and that is what we have to remember, the smile that he put on people's faces in many matches."

Torres returned to Madrid to link up with the national team fit and ready to play against Colombia and hoping to find form with which to make his mark at Craven Cottage next week. "I am fine," he said. "I have had no injuries this season at all. I keep working on my form and keep improving and hopefully all the injuries are gone.

"I have to forget that and think I can play every game for 90 minutes. But it is important to be there with Spain. We are world champions so I will enjoy these three days, but I will be ready to come back as soon as possible to London to keep training and meeting all the people."

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Labels: Chelsea, confident, diamond, Fernando, formation, Guardian, sparkle, Torres

{ I can?t look: John Terry fails to prevent Raul Meireles from scoring the winner at the Bridge yesterday
The arrival of a big-money striker is usually the catalyst for a revival of fortunes or the final weapon to help shoot for the stars but Fernando Torres presents Carlo Ancelotti with a conundrum that may cost him his job.

Of course, integrating a ?50million signing into a squad defending the Double is a problem most managers would relish tackling and Torres's proven pedigree enhances the likelihood of a successful career at Chelsea.

But the Spaniard will need time and that is the one commodity Ancelotti does not have, with the Blues harbouring only the faintest Premier League title hopes after this tame surrender to Kenny Dalglish's resurgent Liverpool.

Ancelotti is under exorbitant pressure to deliver the Champions League for an owner who believes he has bought the perfect tool to achieve that goal; ultimately, Torres is more important to Roman Abramovich than Ancelotti is and if the Italian cannot get his new No9 firing soon, his tenure is unlikely to last beyond the summer.

In reverting to the 4-4-2 diamond formation he favoured upon taking charge at Chelsea - but subsequently abandoned for the players' preferred 4-3-3 system - the Blues suffered from a disastrous lack of width which channelled their attacks into Liverpool's strongest areas.

Dalglish's deployment of three centre-backs perfectly nullified Nicolas Anelka, playing at the top of the diamond, while rendering Frank Lampard and Michael Essien ineffective as a lack of wide options forced the midfield pair to attempt to navigate paths through the most congested area of the pitch.

Full-backs Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa were under heavy pressure to provide width but were incapable of balancing such demands with their defensive duties - Torres' debut was disastrous but the blame cannot solely lie with the 26-year-old.

Spending ?50m has bought Chelsea a striker but not a supply line and Ancelotti's task is to best facilitate one of the finest finishers in the game with the ammunition to succeed.

One game is not enough to judge their long-term compatibility but Torres, Didier Drogba and Anelka in the same side appears a difficult blend to manage.

Torres and Drogba are used to both leading the line and, as such, are the focal point of the attack, while Anelka has previously adapted well to a position on the right of a front three, yet that compromise has come at the price of a diminished goal return.

Anelka does not appear suited to a position in 'the hole' behind the main strikers - nor does is make use of his considerable pace - while Lampard is at once relegated to a more defensive role; his goalscoring impact was reduced significantly when Ancelotti first adopted the diamond formation.

With Champions League success the priority, Chelsea have a degree of breathing space to attempt the alchemy given the limited threat FC Copenhagen pose in their last-16 clash but the evidence presented in their defeat by Liverpool suggests much work is needed.

Victory was achieved at Sunderland with the same system but the introduction of Torres combined with a resolute and well-organised opposition proved too much, whatever Ancelotti argues to the contrary.

"The problem wasn't that Torres played - he did a good job on the pitch," said the Chelsea manager. "We had difficulty finding enough space in front because Liverpool defended very well and they put three defenders in the middle and we didn't find the right way to attack them.

"We have to work in training to combine with the other strikers but that's normal. The problem was not putting these players together. These players have a lot of quality - I have to try to use them together and I'll try everything to put them together."

Perhaps the irony of this result is that Dalglish is now arguably more likely to be in his current job next season than Ancelotti; King Kenny punctuated his team's admirable display with no less than 11 separate waves to the visiting supporters, who barely knew where to direct their joy first.

Torres scored on his Liverpool debut against Chelsea but only twice threatened a reverse - Maxi Rodriquez gifted possession after just two minutes but he fired wastefully over before a superb block from Jamie Carragher denied Torres after his only meaningful link-up with Drogba all afternoon.

Maxi missed the best chance of the first half, hitting the crossbar from three yards out, before Petr Cech and Branislav Ivanovic argued furiously after a miscommunication in dealing with Martin Kelly's cross.

Whatever they said, the lesson went unheeded as Liverpool's winning goal owed a lot to another misunderstanding between the pair.

Cole had been caught upfield and Steven Gerrard exploited the space to deliver an innocuous-looking cross. Cech and Ivanovic left it to each other, enabling Raul Meireles to execute a smart volleyed finish.

Torres had departed three minutes earlier and could only watch on as Chelsea alarmingly failed to rally in his absence. Given the sense of occasion and the boost ?71m of new faces must have provided to the squad, there was a startling lack of riposte to adversity.

Glen Johnson was fortunate not to concede a stoppage-time penalty for barging Ivanovic but the repetitive spot-kick appeals smacked of a side that had run out of ideas. Almost unnoticed amid the frustration was David Luiz's promising 17-minute debut in which he made a couple of decent interceptions but overall Ancelotti was left perplexed by a performance that failed to capitalise on Manchester United's first League defeat of the season.

"We're disappointed for this reason because we had an opportunity to close the gap but now we're still the same distance," he said.

"We have to keep going. We have to try to fight again for the title."

That fight will continue at Fulham a week tonight, when Ancelotti insists he will use the same system again and better will be expected from their new star man. But time is of the essence for Ancelotti, not Torres.

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Agences de presses

Labels: Ancelotti, being, Fernando, fired, firing, himself, London, Torres

{ Torres will improve for Chelsea - Ancelotti

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti defended £50m striker Fernando Torres after his side lost 1-0 to Liverpool.

Torres was mostly anonymous before being substituted on his Chelsea debut against the team he left on the final day of the January transfer window.

"I took him off as, after 60 minutes and a very busy week, it was good for him to come off," said Ancelotti.

"Fernando has experience, he has confidence and didn't show problems before the game."

He added: "He was enthusiastic to play, excited, and it didn't show a problem.

"We have to give Fernando time to adjust to the shape, but I think that he will do it quickly."

He [Torres] had one shot on target and Jamie Carragher made one great block tackle on him

Ancelotti played Torres, who was constantly barracked by the Liverpool fans, in attack alongside Didier Drogba, with fellow forward Nicolas Anelka deployed in a creative role in the hole behind them.

However, Chelsea rarely threatened a disciplined and organised Liverpool, who won the game courtesy of a fourth goal in five matches from Raul Meireles.

"The problem wasn't that Torres played - he did a good job on the pitch," said Ancelotti.

"We had difficulty finding enough space in front, because Liverpool defended very well and they put three defenders in the middle, and we didn't find the right way to attack them.

"We were too slow playing from the back. We didn't find the space."

He added: "We played a fantastic game with this shape [in a 4-2 win] at Sunderland and wanted to reproduce that but Liverpool were strong defensively, put strong pressure on in their half, and we were not able to find the solution.

"The right result would have been a draw, but this is football."

The defeat leaves reigning Premier League champions Chelsea in fourth place, 10 points behind leaders Manchester United, who lost at Wolves on Saturday.

Dalglish hails 'magnificent' Liverpool

"We are disappointed because we had an opportunity to close the gap, but now we are still the same distance," said the Blues boss.

"Maybe now we have less possibility to close the gap, but we have to try again. We have to try to fight again for the title.

"The Premier League is very difficult in every game, so it could happen that United can lose again."

Liverpool moved up to sixth - their highest position so far this season - and six points behind Chelsea and fifth-placed Tottenham, who both have a game in hand on the Reds, as they raised hopes about challenging for a Champions League place.

"Liverpool played very well, with fantastic power, play and attitude. Obviously they can come back to fight for fourth place," said Ancelotti.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish insisted the presence of Torres in the Chelsea side did not act as an extra incentive for his side as they registered a fourth consecutive league victory.

"The players approached it professionally," said Dalglish. "I don't think [Torres' presence] was any incentive.

"The incentive for us was to get three points and we did. Whatever someone else wants to do with their life is up to them.

"I came here to win three points and it would have made no difference if Carlo Ancelotti was playing up front, I'd still want the three points. The personnel of the opposition is not important to me."

He added: "He [Torres] had one shot on target and Jamie Carragher made one great block tackle on him, but I'm not here to talk about other people's players, I'm here to talk about my own players."

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Labels: Ancelotti, Carlo, defends, Fernando, showing, Sport, Torres

Liverpool produced a stunning defensive display to record only their second victory in seven years at Stamford Bridge courtesy of a Raul Merieles strike midway through the second half.

The Reds were dogged and determined- they were certainly not going to let Fernando Torres steal all the limelight- Jamie Carrager made sure of that. There performance was epitomised when the striker was substituted on 69 minutes.

Moments later Merieles who is on a great run himself scored with a strike from close range giving Dalglish's men an unlikely victory.

This match was eagerly anticipated with all the focus on one man in particular. Torres started for the Blues after his £50 million English transfer record breaking move from Liverpool.

The Spaniard had perhaps burnt bridges with Liverpool fans after announcing he had moved to a bigger club but promised that he would not celebrate if he scored maybe as a way of appeasing his former fans- but they would not have to worry about it.

Chelsea made their intentions very clear from the beginning with a very attacking line up that would make any defence quiver but in a strikeforce that promised so much it produced so very little.

Didier Drogba, Torres and Nicholas Anelka failed to force Pepe Reina into any real save of note the whole game but it was largely thanks to the back three of Martin Skrtel, Carragher and Daniel Agger.

Luis Suarez who came on and scored on his debut for the Reds against Stoke City ¬had to remain content with starting on the bench as Dalglish kept faith with his winning formula which has seen Liverpool creep up the table into seventh with three consecutive wins and clean sheets to boost entering this game.

But if history was anything to go by, a Reds victory at Stamford Bridge seemed unlikely with only one win since 2004.

Inevitably the first chance fell to Torres.

Maxi Rodriguez clearly had not heard the news that he had moved to Stamford Bridge as he slipped a pass into the former team mates path.

However the finish from the World Cup winner uncharacteristically lacked composure but it was an early scare for the visitors.

If this was an indicator that chances in this match were going to come thick and fast the next twenty minutes put pay to that notion.

Liverpool were happy to contain Chelsea and counter attack when possible if Dirk Kuyt’s pass had been more accurate into Raul Meireles the away side might have created their first real opportunity.

Torres was struggling to find any joy through the middle and drifted out onto the wing where Daniel Agger unceremoniously blocked his run- much to the delight of the travelling away support- and gave away a free kick in a dangerous position.

But nothing could be made of the chance which epitomised the opening half hour.

The game was screaming out for a goal and it nearly came through Torres after Drogba threaded a lovely through ball to him- it was first time the Blues had managed to penetrate the Reds defence but Jamie Carragher was there to put an excellent block in.

Liverpool should have been ahead moments later as the game suddenly sparked into the life.

Perhaps it was fortuitous that the ball kindly fell to Steven Gerrard in the box but the captain took advantage of the good fortune and drilled a low ball across goal; Rodriguez will still be wondering how he managed to hit the bar from a few yards out with the goal gaping.

The first half was brought to a close but not before Branislav Ivanovic and Petr Cech displayed the kind of tension which was surging through the game.

A lovely cross by Martin Kelly on the right caused confusion between the pair as they went for the same ball resulting in the defender and goal keeper squaring up to each other in a heated debate.

After the interval Chelsea had a flurry of half chances as they tried to find that elusive opener. Anelka had a couple of pot shots at goal and a Ivanovic header failed to test Reina.

The visitors looked reasonably comfortable as the Blues struggled to create any clear cut opportunities. Torres’s face cut a frustrated figure as he was marshalled out of the game by Carragher who was outstanding at the back for Liverpool.

It signalled the end for Torres who was replaced by Salomon Kalou on 65 minutes.

Anelka sitting slightly deeper found some space and his twenty yard shot was fired agonisingly wide but it told the story of the match for the Blues having failed to register a shot in target in 67 minutes of play.

And inevitably they were made to pay as Liverpool took the lead on 69 minutes. Gerrard ran down the wing and put in a brilliant cross which again caused confusion in the Chelsea box and Meireles was on hand to fire home from close range grabbing his fourth goal in five games.

Torres off and a goal behind it was not an image  many had envisioned before the game.

Florent Malouda nearly found a equaliser moments later but he was foiled by Reina who was forced into his first real save of the match.

Liverpool looked threatening on the counter attack and with 10 minutes to go they nearly doubled their lead.

Substitute Fabio Aurelio orchestrated some space in the Chelsea box he jinked onto right foot and fired a powerful shot at Cech but the Blues shot stopper was on hand to make the save.

A Frank Lampard strike with just a few minutes to go summed up Chelsea's day as he blazed high and wide leaving Stamford Bridge disappointed and subdued.

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Agences de presses

Labels: Blues, Chelsea, Crucial, Debut, defeat, Disappointing, Fernando, Goalcom, Hands, Liverpool, Makes, Meireles, strike, Torres

{

Reuters

Click Sport Comment - Fernando Torres sale would begin Liverpool FC rebirth Click Liverpool It should have been the moment when Liverpool announced to the world 'watch out, we're back'. Instead, Luis Suarez's arrival as the club's record signing from Ajax was ... Reds put £50m price tag on TorresTeamtalk.com Exclusive - Collymore: 'Chelsea are taking a huge gamble on Torres'talkSPORT.co.uk Liverpool player describes Fernando Torres' efforts this season as laughable ...Goal.com SkySports -Independent -The Guardian all 1,682 news articles »

Agences de presses

Labels: begin, Click, Comment, Fernando, Liverpool, rebirth, Sport, Torres, would