Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on Chelsea fans for standing by Fernando Torres and playing a part in the good times that the Spaniard has enjoyed at the club.
Whilst he is not setting the world alight the forward has been in decent form so far this season and has even appeared rejuvenated at times and made a nuisance of himself again as the Blues beat Southampton 3-1 on Sunday.
The 29-year-old has been a perennial disappointment for most of his Stamford Bridge career but Mourinho believes the fans’ backing has really helped Torres to improve his form.
Mourinho was quoted:
“The crowd know football and they know that a striker sometimes not scoring goals can give a big contribution for the team – and the way he is working for us is fantastic.
“They are a very loyal crowd at Stamford Bridge. When they feel a player gives everything and works hard for them, they always praise. That is good and is a good feeling for a player.”
Torres has scored five goals in 14 appearances so far this season – most of which have come in European competition. But he really has to improve upon his Premier League tally as his winner against Manchester City is his solitary goal this season and he only has 16 in a total of 91 league games – which is nowhere near good enough even if he is having some contribution elsewhere.
But whilst alternatives are being mooted and with Samuel Eto’o’s injury Torres is still the main man at Chelsea for now and all the fans can do is to continue offering their support and hope he can rediscover his former glory whilst maintaining that form on a consistent basis. He made things awkward for the Southampton defenders on Sunday with his work rate and forced a great save from the keeper.
I believe that Torres is very lucky to have received the sort of backing the club, manager(s), fans and team-mates have shown him since January 2011 when he arrived from Liverpool. He may not have seen such patience anywhere else and I’m sure he wants to show his gratitude by giving something back.
