The curious case of Fernando Torres

It's a topic that some of you have been waiting for, and it revolves by the name of a man called Fernando Torres. The issue started back in 2010, weeks before the World Cup was due to start. Fernando had been struggling with injury all season, and seemed a doubt for the Championships. However, in the end he was able to compete, but there was something wrong. Back then you could argue that he was out of form, simply taking time to re-adapt to professional football after a period away from the game due to injury. However, just less than 2 years have flown by and Torres still hasn't rekindled the spark which saw him score a countless number of goals for Liverpool for the 3 seasons he played in prior to the World Cup. That poses the question: Has Torres lost it?

Since the World Cup, Torres has shown in glimpses what he was able to do, but only in glimpses. Time and time again has Torres failed to disappoint, which has seen both his confidence and performance plummet game after game. It has got to the point where Torres has been branded a laughing stock, after comical misses against Manchester United, in addition to the more recent howler against Norwich. I personally feel sorry for Fernando, me being a Liverpool follower as well as being on the end of some nasty injuries, I understand how it feels to get back into football after some considerable time out. It's tough, and sadly, this is what Nando has experienced for a prolonged period of time.

Sadly, Torres hasn't been able to re-capture the form that once saw him the most lethal striker the world has ever seen. Before establishing himself as the world's best finisher, he He was an integral part in ensuring Liverpool made the Champions League places year after year, despite suffering from several injuries. He tallied 81 goals in 142 games for Liverpool; an impressive tally it must be said. He also scored the winner in the Euro 2008 final, to clinch victory for Spain, which instantly gave him national hero status. Before his infamous move to Chelsea, Torres had an impressive tally of 172 career goals in 382 games, just less than a 0.5 goal to game ratio. So what sparked his downfall? Have Chelsea destroyed one of the best strikers in the world?

Torres arrived at Stamford Bridge for an inflatable fee of £50 million pounds, a massive sum of money considering he was a man who had already showed signs of declining performances. He was immediately welcomed at Chelsea, and formed a partnership with Drogba upfront. However, when both players seemed to be a negative influence on each other, Torres went 18 games in all competitions without a goal - marking the real start of his downfall. This streak was eventually ended by a fortunate goal against West Ham, but his Chelsea career didn't kick on from there. His struggle continued, but glimpses of his talent were shown in games such as against Manchester United, but his performance was scarred by an appalling miss the very same game.

So will he ever recover? His confidence has been shattered, and Chelsea are even contemplating selling him. Although AVB has announced that Torres will not be sold, cutting their losses may be a sensible way of dealing with Fernando. Either that, or Chelsea could persevere with the 27 year old, but that may mean his price would drop as time goes by. Similar to the Andy Carroll situation, both men have struggled massively since big money moves to the countries top clubs. Nando has been out of form for just less than 2 years, which suggest that his time as a world class professional footballer is up. But maybe, maybe, Torres can get back to his best.

But ask yourself this question; wouldn’t you love to see a back to form Torres terrorizing the world's best defences again? I certainly would.

Fernando Torres signing for Chelsea in a £50 million deal