SOCCER:FERNANDO TORRES has admitted that he just "cannot score" for Chelsea more than a year after his €60 million move from Liverpool which has yielded three league goals in 34 appearances.
“To be honest, after one year I was expecting things would be better than they are now. It is a difficult situation because I am happy in my personal life. We really like the club and we’re very happy here . . . On the pitch it is a difficult time for Chelsea because we are not finding the results but we’re . . . playing a different style and still we have a young team to do it,” said the striker.
“Personally I have to improve. In my time at Liverpool there were games where I would not be playing well or I would be doing nothing but every time I touched the ball I scored . . . I am not finding the chances and, when I do find the chances, I cannot score.”
Despite his difficult 12 months Torres is clear he wants to stay at Chelsea. “My present and my future are here.”
He will get another chance to find his scoring touch against Birmingham City in today’s FA Cup fifth-round tie after Andre Villas-Boas confirmed Didier Drogba will not feature as he is still recovering after the Africa Cup of Nations, where the Ivory Coast lost to Zambia in the final on penalties.
Meanwhile, Villas-Boas’s hold on the Chelsea job was further strengthened after Guus Hiddink was confirmed as the new manager of Anzhi Makhachkala.
The spectre of Hiddink has been hanging over Villas-Boas for three months after the Dutchman left the Turkey post following their failure to qualify for this summer’s European Championship.
Speculation that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was considering sending for Hiddink intensified this week amid reports senior players at Stamford Bridge wanted their former boss to be brought in to replace the Portuguese.
But if Abramovich had planned to do that, he waited too long, with Hiddink yesterday putting pen to paper on an 18-month deal to take charge of the mega-rich Russian club. The 65 year old told club website : “I’m glad to accept such an opportunity, to work not only with the football team but also with my friends here. ”
Hiddink was Abramovich’s go-to man three years ago when Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked as Chelsea manager. The Dutchman led the club to FA Cup success.
Villas-Boas remains adamant that he retains the backing of his billionaire boss. That was despite admitting his Chelsea project had lost the support of some members of his squad.
Abramovich appears far more reluctant to bow to player power at present, seemingly acknowledging a change of personnel is needed for the club to marry its recent success with the brand of attacking football he craves.
However, Hiddink being out of the picture will not keep the wolf from the door entirely, with Villas-Boas still under real pressure to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
