Torres targets finally getting off mark
Reuters - Tuesday 15 March 2011, 02:00
LONDON - Barring an unexpected collapse
on Wednesday Chelsea should ease past FC Copenhagen and into the
Champions League quarter-finals so the burning question is -
can Fernando Torres finally break his goal-scoring duck?
The Spain striker has failed to find the net in five
appearances since his 50 million pounds move
from Liverpool and was overshadowed by Nicolas Anelka who scored
twice when Chelsea won the first leg 2-0 in the Danish capital.
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Torres has struggled to reproduce the sort of form that
prompted Chelsea to pay a British record fee for him.
"I'm quite sure the goals will come in due course because I
always knew there would be a settling in period," he told the
Spanish sports daily Marca.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti looks set to keep faith with
Frenchman Anelka, scorer of seven Champions League goals this
season, on Wednesday with Torres again likely to keep Didier
Drogba sitting on the bench.
Torres and Drogba played in tandem in the 3-1 Premier League
win at Blackpool last week and failed to hit it off - the goals
coming from stalwarts Frank Lampard (two) and John Terry.
While yet to make much of an impact on the pitch, Torres is
at least saying all the right things and has set his sights on
helping Chelsea win the Champions League after a run of
heart-breaking near-misses.
DOUBLE DREAM
"This club came within one missed penalty of winning the
Champions League (in the 2008 final shootout against Manchester
United) and you can feel it's something which slipped through
their hands," he said.
"Just like everybody at Chelsea I'd give anything for this
to be another double season - that's the dream," added Torres
referring to the team's Premier League and FA Cup triumphs last
year.
Copenhagen will have to improve dramatically on their first
leg showing if they are to cause Chelsea, who also retain
outside hopes of retaining their Premier League crown, any
alarm.
The opening leg was their first match after the winter break
and they looked off the pace. However, this time Copenhagen
should be up to speed after a 1-0 victory at Aalborg on Saturday
helped extend their lead in the Danish league to 19 points.
Jesper Gronkjaer, once of Chelsea, believes the Danes still
have a say in the tie, even if the hosts have lost just one of
their last 25 Champions League ties at Stamford Bridge.
"We have to believe in it," said the winger. "Obviously we
are going to London to win. If we can score the first goal
anything can happen."