Tag Archives: Torres

Spain can rock Holland – Torres

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Spain striker Fernando Torres has revealed La Roja have been inspired all the way to the World Cup final in South Africa by Leicester rockers Kasabian (Spain 8/15f – World Cup Outright).

Torres and his Euro 2008-winning team-mates have been gearing themselves up before their matches by listening to Kasabian’s debut album which blares out in the dressing room right up until the players emerge for the national anthems.

And Liverpool star Torres is hoping to catch the band in action after the World Cup, hopefully with a winner’s medal in his pocket following Sunday’s final clash against Holland at Soccer City, Johannesburg.

He told The Sun: “Club Foot has got us to the final, so I would like to give a big thanks to Kasabian.

“Of course we will be playing it before the final against Holland on Sunday.

“So if the band are sitting watching the game then they will know that at about 7.20pm we will be getting pumped up to their most classic track.

“If we win the World Cup I would like to present them with a Spain shirt signed by all of us lads because their music has been a big inspiration to us in the dressing room.

“We will all come to watch them.”

Torres is sweating on his place in Spain’s XI for the game against the Dutch after finding himself on the bench for the semi-final win over Germany on Wednesday night.

Spain boss Vicente del Bosque had claimed Torres would start in midweek but he sprang a surprise and is now keeping his cards close to his chest over Sunday’s selection (Torres 7/1 – Fifa Man of the Match).

The wily 59-year-old, who scored one goal for Spain during 18 appearances between 1975 and 1980, said: “I don’t know if he [Torres] will be in the line-up.”

Del Bosque added: “It was a difficult choice. Torres has been helping us all along. His work is important even if it is not noticed. He is good at occupying the centre-backs.

“I didn’t talk to him before I announced the line-up (against Germany). But he is a very important part of the team. He is one of the key members of the squad and a lovely guy.”

Key Spain defender Carles Puyol, 32, who scored the winner against Germany in the semi-finals, says he will decide on his international future after the final.

Spain have won all of their knockout games 1-0 at the World Cup – against Portugal, Paraguay and Germany – and they can be backed at 9/2 to beat Holland by the same scoreline.

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Agent hints at Torres exit

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Fernando Torres‘ agent has refused to confirm whether the Spanish striker will still be at Liverpool (8/1 Premier League outright winners) next season.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a move away from Anfield this summer following Rafael Benitez’s exit.

Benitez’s move to Inter Milan has seemingly unsettled some of the Reds’ top stars, with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano both being linked with moves abroad.

Liverpool have already lost one of their stalwarts this summer with Yossi Benayoun opting to join Chelsea.

Given the Reds’ current financial peril its seems almost certain that a number of other players will be leaving Merseyside, with the likes of Ryan Babel, Lucas Leiva and Martin Skrtel all possible transfer targets for other clubs.

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson looks as though he will have a tough task on his hands to persuade some players to stay.

The club will be desperate to keep their top stars, especially Torres who has been prolific since he completed his £26.5m move from Atletico Madrid in 2007.

The striker is currently with the Spanish national side preparing for their World Cup semi-final against Germany (2/1 outright World Cup winners) and has put off talk over his club future until he returns from South Africa.

However, his agent David Martin has today hinted that Torres may ask to leave Anfield once he returns, suggesting his future lies with another Premier League side.

“Barcelona have signed David Villa and now they want to invest the money they have in other players,” he told the Daily Mail.

“It is very likely that Fernando Torres will stay in the Premier League, but I cannot say that it will be with Liverpool.

“We are working on his future but right now you cannot guarantee that he will stay with the English club.”

Martin’s comments have sparked rumours that Chelsea (1/7 to beat West Brom on the opening weekend of the new season) or Manchester City could make a bid for Torres.

However, any offer made would have to be huge with the striker still having three years left to run on his current deal.

City have already pushed the boat out in bringing in David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng and are looking to add further talent to their squad.

While Chelsea  could well be persuaded to break the bank to sign Torres should he become available.

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Spain to stick with Torres

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Fernando Torres may not have been at his best this World Cup but Spain are set to keep faith with the striker when they take on Paraguay in the quarter-finals on Saturday (Spain 1/2 to win).

Despite struggling with injury in the lead up to the tournament, Torres was expected to be in the running to land the golden boot, but he has failed to hit the back of the net in any of Spain’s games so far and has been scratching around for form and full fitness.

The Liverpool marksman, who could leave Anfield later this summer, looked rusty in the group games and even though he was sharper against Portugal in the second round win, it was again left to David Villa to wrap up the victory.

In fact Spain only looked a real threat to the resolute Portuguese defence when Torres was replaced by Fernando Llorente midway through the second half.

There had been suggestions that Llorente could be in line to start in attack against Paraguay but that has been ruled out by Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, who has every confidence in the player and will keep the faith.

“Our striker right now is Fernando Torres,” said Del Bosque. “He’s played four games, a lot of minutes and will play more. We’ve got full confidence in him.”

Spain have goals throughout the team so they do not have to rely on Torres but if the striker can find his shooting boots in the remaining matches World Cup glory will be on the cards for the Spanish.

Torres is 4/1 to grab the first goal against Paraguay but once again Villa, who has been the star of the show for Spain so far this tournament, is 3/1 favourite.

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Del Bosque reveals Torres hook

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Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has given striker Fernando Torres a clean bill of health following his substitution on the hour mark during the 2-1 win over Chile (Spain 5/6, draw 9/4, Portugal 10/3 – match betting).

The Liverpool ace has struggled with groin and knee problems over recent months which hampered his progress with the Reds last term.

The former Atletico Madrid hitman has looked a poor imitation of himself at the World Cup so far, with strike partner David Villa taking centre stage with three goals including the opener against the Chileans (Villa 15/8 to win the Golden Boot).

But Torres, according to del Bosque, only came off as a precaution with a muscle strain.

The 59-year-old said: “He felt a spot of muscular bother, nothing to do with his knee injury.”

Spain now move on to the knockout stage where Portugal lie in wait, with a quarter-final against either Paraguay or Japan the reward for the winners (Portugal 22/1 World Cup Outright).

However, del Bosque, who saw his side get off to a losing start in South Africa against Switzerland, is refusing to get carried away as he looks to add the world title to Spain’s European Championship success of two years ago.

Del Bosque said: “There’s a lot of pressure in the World Cup.

“We know what people expect in Spain and we’re trying to give our all. Let’s see what we achieve.

“We have reacted to a very difficult situation and have done well.

“We know there are no easy games. We want to do well.”

Portugal sealed their passage into the last 16 with a draw against tournament favourites Brazil on Friday afternoon and defender Ricardo Carvalho is delighted to have progressed from the so-called ‘Group of Death’ ahead of Ivory Coast.

The Chelsea star said: “We knew it’d be a tight match, without many chances.

“It was a very tense match and that didn’t really surprise us, because Brazil and Portugal play in a very similar way and have a lot in common.

“We tried to attack them when we could but, at the end of the day, it?s a good result.”

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Torres back in training

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Torres celebratesFernando Torres delivered a huge boost to Spain’s (4/1 outright winners) hopes of leaving South Africa as World champions as he returned to training with the squad on Friday.

Torres endured a torrid Premier League campaign with Liverpool and suffered from a string of injuries that blighted his season from start to finish. The Spanish superstar has not played since mid-April when he underwent a knee operation which immediately put his participation in South Africa in doubt.

However, the former Atletico Madrid hitman is well ahead of schedule in his recovery from surgery and was able to return to light training on Friday and could now be set to start in the Iberians opener against Switzerland on June 16.

The atmosphere in the camp had been one of concern that two of their star players might have to miss the tournament completely. However, things have improved dramatically in recent days as Cesc Fabregas made it through a friendly match and now Torres’ return to training has given the squad another lift. Defender Gerard Piqué said. “Fernando is an important player for us and hopefully he can be ready for the first World Cup match.”

Vicente Del Bosque had been experimenting with a variety of systems in preparation for life without his star striker, which included using Fabregas as an auxiliary second striker, but will now be able to put those away for a while yet.

Spain are understandably favourites at 1/18 to qualify from Group H and would be expected to do so in some style. The European champions face Switzerland first, before meeting minnows Honduras and finally South American qualifiers Chile.

There has been talk in the Spanish press about a race for the Golden Boot between Torres and Villa. The Liverpool striker is 14/1 to come away from the tournament as top goal scorer, with his Barcelona bound team-mate favourite at 9/1 to top the charts.

Spain are well fancied to lift the Jules Rimet trophy at Soccer City on 11 July and enter the tournament as favourites ahead of world ranked number one Brazil.

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Will Torres feature when Liverpool fixtures start in July?

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fernando torres liverpool 300x225 Will Torres feature when Liverpool fixtures start in July?The three teams to represent England in next season’s Europa League have been decided and Liverpool will be back in the competition from which they were eliminated in the semi-finals last month.

The other two Premier League clubs joining them are Manchester City and Aston Villa. All three clubs might have mixed feelings about taking part after seeing what Tottenham Hotspur achieved this season.

Spurs weren’t in Europe at all this year and it was noticeable that their players were fresh and sharp as the campaign came to a close. By not being in the Europa League, the London club played less matches but also avoided the many long journeys across the Continent.

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Harry Redknapp’s team were able to grab fourth place and achieve a first attempt at the lucrative Champions League- they pipped Manchester City, who also had a season fre of European trips.

By contrast, Aston Villa and Everton who finished eighth (a drop from fifth last year), both took part in the Europa League.

In 2010/11 Everton will not play in the Europa League which may help their challenge to break into the top four. Manchester City will have to pick themselves up from the bitter disappointment of finishing fifth.

Liverpool only squeezed into European competition for next season at all because Chelsea won the FA Cup. The three English qualifying spots go to the Cup winners and the 5th and 6th placed teams in the league. As Chelsea are safely in the Champions League their place came to seventh-placed Liverpool, because Cup runners-up Portsmouth have no licence to play in Europe.

The Premiership held out some hopes of gaining a fourth berth by being high enough in UEFA’s Fair Play League but eventually these places went to Scandinavian clubs. If England had received one of these berths, relegated Burnley would have got it.

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Fulham’s great effort this year showed what can be done if teams take a positive approach to the Europa League. Manchester City and Aston Villa go through to the play-off round direct but Liverpool have the indignity- for a club with their European record -of appearing in the Third Qualifying Round.

It means that the Reds start their season in late July just a few short weeks after many of their players will have been involved in the World Cup Finals in South Africa.

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  2. Liverpool, Fulham Europa League Semi-Finals Preview
  3. Liverpool v Chelsea- The Blues Can Wrap Up The Title


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Drogba would welcome Torres

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Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has stated that he would love to play alongside Fernando Torres for the Blues next season (Chelsea 13/8 with totesport to win the 2010/2011 Premier League outright), as speculation continues over the Spaniard’s future.

Drogba netted 29 goals for Chelsea this season after enjoying a flourishing partnership with French international Nicolas Anelka, but the former Marseille man has said that he would welcome a move this summer for the Spanish striker.

The Golden Boot winner stated: “I have heard the talk about Torres maybe coming in and I would welcome it, of course. Every time there is a new player coming here it’s making the club bigger and giving us a lot of strength.

“If there is a chance for him to come he will be welcome, because any help is welcome, he added.

With reports claiming that Liverpool’s debts are in the region of £351.4m and having missed out on Champions League football for next season, talk continues to mount over the possible sale of  star players with Torres their prized asset.

Along with Chelsea, Manchester City have also been linked with the former Ateltico Madrid star and they could lead the chase with their financial backing.  The Blues have not spent the kind of money that the Eastlands club have splashed out in recent seasons, although Chelsea’s continued success may prove a more tempting offer for a player who is yet to win anything during his time at Anfield.

Drogba, the Premier League’s top goalscorer his season, was part of a Chelsea side that scored more than 100 Premier League goals and have not found the back of the net hard to come by.

However, the Ivory Coast striker believes that the club can always improve as they go into their FA Cup final clash with Portsmouth on Saturday (Chelsea 1/5, draw 11/2, Portsmouth 12/1).

The Blues are going for the first League and FA Cup double in their 105-year history and Drogba feels that it would great to win for everyone at the club.

He said: “I want to finish the job this year with the FA Cup final. To win the double would mean a lot to the club and to us as players.”

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Torres doubt for Spain opener

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Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres could miss his country’s World Cup opener as he tries to recover from knee surgery (Torres 12/1 in totesport’s topscorer market).

Spain begin their World Cup campaign against Switzerland on June 16 and according to the head of Liverpool’s medical team Peter Brukner, Torres could well be a doubt for the first game.

He said: “He’s doing well and he’s certainly tremendously committed to his rehab, as are the staff here, and if anyone can recover from an injury, he can.

“You can’t be absolutely certain of anything but at this stage, if he continues to progress the way he is, he should be fit to play at some stage during the World Cup. Whether he’ll be fit for the first game or not is uncertain, he added.

Brukner and the medical staff at Liverpool are looking at the 26-year-old’s fitness in the long term and are determined not to rush him back from his operation which was the second on his knee within three months.

Torres has spent large parts of this season on the sidelines, which many believe was one of the main reasons for a poor season by Liverpool’s standards. Despite the injuries, the Spaniard has still scored 18 goals in 22 Premier League games.

The European champions who are one of the strong favourites for the tournament (Spain 4/1 to win the World Cup outright) are struggling with injuries to key players, which could severely affect the team’s chances of bringing back the trophy from South Africa.

Along with injury to Torres, Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas is recovering from a cracked fibula which he picked up in his clubs Champions League tie with Barcelona, who are also struggling with an important injury.

Star midfielder Xavi, who is integral for both club and country, could miss out on the World Cup for Spain. The Barca ace is currently playing through a calf tear to help ensure the Catalan giants fend off rivals Real Madrid and the win La Liga this year, but what part he will play in the World Cup is uncertain.

Spain’s group in at the tournament include Switzerland, Honduras and Chile (Spain 1/18 to qualify through the group stages).

That’s a group that they are expected to come through comfortably which should give players like Torres Fabregas and Xavi time to recover for tougher challenges further on in the competition.

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Mancini confirms Torres interest

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Roberto Mancini could flex his club’s considerable muscle in the transfer market at the end the season by bringing in marquee signings – including Fernando Torres of Liverpool – in his efforts to transform Manchester City into title contenders (11/8 Man City – Top 4 Finish).

The Eastlands boss went public on Thursday with his admiration for Spain striker Torres and described him as belonging to the top bracket of the world’s best footballers.

The Italian said his capture would put City firmly in a position to challenge for the game’s big honours.

However, he did admit failure to qualify for the Champions League this season could affect the club’s chances of pulling off an audacious swoop for the 26-year-old.

“We are a top team and I think all the top teams are interested in Torres but sometimes it depends on the player because they want to play in the Champions League,” he said. “If we don’t get into the fourth position I think it will be difficult.”

City remain in the hunt for the coveted fourth spot but face another big test of their credentials when they travel to take on title-outsiders Arsenal (10/11 Arsenal 12/5 draw 11/4 Man City – match betting) at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Mancini believes bringing in a player of Torres’ undisputed ability would give his club the lift it needs to move up to the next level.

He added: “For me, he is with Carlos [Tevez], [Wayne] Rooney, [Lionel] Messi, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, [Cristiano] Ronaldo as the best in Europe. Fernando is a fantastic striker; all the teams in Europe would like him.”

City are one of the few clubs – possibly the only club – in world football who could afford a move in excess of £50m and Mancini believes a summer of possible upheaval at Anfield could work in his favour.

The Merseysiders were recently put up for sale and uncertainty surrounds the future of manager Rafael Benitez off the back of a disappointing season in which winning the Europa League is his only chance of silverware.

The Spaniard was understandably defensive when asked about the prospect of Torres leaving after his side’s 1-0 semi-final first-leg defeat by Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

“We’ve said repeatedly that Fernando is not for sale and he still has three years of his contract remaining. So how can they sign a player who does not wish to leave?” he said.

Mancini is unlikely to be put off by Benitez and is adamant in his view that City must recruit a recognised world-class signing to shake up the stranglehold enjoyed by Chelsea and Manchester United at the summit of English football.

He added: “If we want to win the Premier League ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United we must sign some important players. All the top players want to play in the Champions League. But next season I want to win the Premier League; this is my desire even ahead of the Champions League, and I want players to understand that.”

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Benitez reveals new Torres fears

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Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has admitted that Fernando Torres might miss their push to snatch the fourth Champions League spot in the Premier League (Liverpool 22/1 Top Four Finish) because he could need another knee operation.

The Spanish hitman’s plan to get the joint checked out by a specialist in his homeland on Friday hit the buffers when the volcanic ash cloud hanging over the British Isles resulted in the flight being cancelled.

Therefore Benitez revealed that the club cannot risk playing Torres until they get the green light from a medical expert as they do not want to cause any long-term damage to the knee which was only operated on in January.

Torres was always going to miss the Reds’ must-win Premier League clash against struggling West Ham at Anfield on Monday night (Liverpool 1/3, West Ham 9/1, draw 18/5 Match Betting).

However this fresh delay could now mean Torres will miss Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg against his former club Atletico Madrid (Atletico Madrid 5/4, Liverpool 7/4,  draw 9/4  Match Betting) if the clash can go-ahead with flights still being cancelled in and out of the UK.

If the delay goes on Torres could even miss the rest of the season and if surgery is required then his involvement in the World Cup with Spain (4/1 World Cup Outright) could also be scuppered.

Benitez told the News of the World: “I don’t know.

“He feels good and says the knee is fine, but we need the opinion of the specialist.

“He was supposed to see the specialist on Friday, but because of the cancelled flights there was a problem.”

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