Torres to the rescue in day of shocks

Rafael Benitez's side held by Brentford, Fernando Torres's late goal kept Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Rafael Benitez’s side are only in the draw for the fifth round thanks to a late equaliser from Fernando Torres away to Brentford. The League One side opened the scoring at Griffin Park, where Chelsea play in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League, through Marcello Trotta, but Oscar equalised in the second half.



Brentford regained the lead from Harry Forrester’s penalty but, with seven minutes remaining, Torres’s curled effort earned a replay at Stamford Bridge at a date yet to be announced. Should they beat Brentford Chelsea will travel to Middlesbrough in the fifth round.



Ross Turnbull played in the Chelsea goal after Petr Cech was withdrawn with an injury. Benitez did not specify who would be in goal to face Reading on Wednesday in the Barclays Premier League.

Brentford 2 Chelsea 2 (High quality highlights)

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Top-selling official EPL player jerseys

Robin van Persie’s popularity at Manchester United since joining from Arsenal in the summer is demonstrated by news that his is the best-selling official Barclays Premier League shirt in North America this season.



Figures released by Sporting ID, which produces the names, numbers and sleeve badges of the Barclays Premier League, show that the United forward, who has scored 11 Premier League goals so far, leads his United strike partner Wayne Rooney, who was found to have had the best-selling shirt in the League’s history. In third is Chelsea striker Fernando Torres.

"North American soccer fans support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else"

Robert Thayne

United States striker Clint Dempsey is the biggest mover, rising to sixth after his move from Fulham to Tottenham Hotspur in August. Dempsey is the first US player to make the top 10 in North American sales.

"North American soccer fans continue to support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else, often waking at 4am to catch games on TV," said Sporting iD’s global sales and marketing director Robert Thayne. "Players like Van Persie, Eden Hazard, Clint Dempsey, Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere are top-class players playing for the biggest clubs in the world and their fans in North America are really no different than the ones who live in the UK.

“They are clearly showing their support of these players and their club by personalizing jerseys with official Premier League player names, numbers and sleeve badges.”



Top-selling official Barclays Premier League player jerseys in North America : -



1. Robin van Persie (Manchester United)

2. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

3. Fernando Torres (Chelsea)

4. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

5. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

6. Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur)

7. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

8. Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)

9. Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)

10. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Five reason why team-mates won't pass to Torres

Jason Burt on the lessons that Rafael Benítez will draw from his side's Champions League rout.

1. Apathy has replaced anger

There was a smattering of boos as he emerged from the tunnel but Rafael Benítez was largely ignored by the Chelsea supporters. There were the now obligatory placards and the chants of “One Di Matteo” but there wasn’t the bear-pit atmosphere of his past two home games. Maybe that was because of this flat Champions League occasion. Maybe the anger aimed at Benítez is subsiding. He will desperately hope it’s the latter.



2. David Luiz can be a leader

The Brazilian defender is so often pilloried for his lapses but here he took responsibility. After Eden Hazard’s woeful penalty was saved, and with Fernando Torres dithering, Luiz took the ball and drilled it into the net for Chelsea’s next spot-kick to gain the first goal. He was also a relatively vocal presence on the pitch and helped to drive his lacklustre team forward adding much-needed dynamism.



3. Team-mates are reluctant to pass to Torres

He may have scored twice but there’s a clear sense that the struggling striker has lost the faith of some of those around him. Time and again Juan Mata, Hazard and Ramires thought twice about picking out Torres’s runs and when they did find him the move often broke down. The celebrations for his goals were also muted. It did not add up to any sense of unity.



4. Ivanovic is struggling

He is not alone but, until recently, the Serbian defender had been a model of consistency. There were signs of frailty against West Ham, when he was bullied by Carlton Cole, and last night he was beaten far too often and failed to close down Joshua John for the visitors’ goal.



5. Hazard should dribble more

The Belgian started the season on fire, running with the ball, beating opponents, creating goals but has suffered a dip to his confidence while – rightly – his lack of work off the ball, especially defensively, has been criticised. However, he comes alive when he runs at defences as he showed when creating Torres’s second goal and needs to be encouraged to do more of the same.



Source - Telegraph

Tuesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente has confirmed he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.



- Fernando Torres has insisted that he wants to see out the rest of his contract and is looking to win more trophies at Chelsea.



- Chelsea have once again watched Bayer Leverkusen striker Andre Schurrle in action as they weigh up a January bid for the Germany international, according to Sky Sports.



- Chelsea and Manchester United are on alert as Jose Mourinho is set to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.



- Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old Brazilian right-back Wallace from Fluminense in the January transfer window.



- Senad Lulic, the Lazio midfielder linked with Chelsea, is on Inter Milan's radar.



- Tottenham winger Gareth Bale, who is believed to be a target for Barcelona and Real Madrid, has reiterated that he sees himself playing abroad in the future, stating: "If the time comes and a team that's right comes in for me, then I'll look at it seriously. I'll see what happens. Everybody wants to be playing in the Champions League."



- Manchester City target Stefan Jovetic has no intention of leaving Fiorentina - yet.



- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants to sign Schalke goalscorer Klass-Jan Huntelaar next month and he could be available for a cut-price £6million, according to Dailymail.



- Tottenham have made an enquiry for Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen, who has also been linked with Liverpool, according to Goal.com.



- Daniel Sturridge's agent has denied the Chelsea striker has demanded £80,000 a week and a guaranteed role up front if he's to join Liverpool.



- Liverpool's hopes of signing Barcelona starlet Cristian Tello have been hit after news emerged that the forward is set to sign a new deal.



- Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has rejected talk of a possible swap between Wesley Sneijder and Paris Saint-Germain star Javier Pastore.



- Arsenal and Chelsea could be forced to ramp up their interest in Paris St. Germain’s Marco Verratti after Juventus emerged as serious contenders to sign him.



- Frank Lampard's hopes of heading out to the US to play in the MLS have been dealt another blow after David Beckham told his former club LA Galaxy to sign Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.



- Brazilian forward Neymar has insisted that he is happy at Santos for the moment and does not want to move to Europe yet.



- Barcelona star Ibrahim Afellay wants to make his loan move to Schalke permanent - dashing the hopes of Arsenal and Liverpool.



- AC Milan have rejected rumours linking Robinho with a move away from the San Siro in January.



- Atletico Madrid are desperate to agree a new contract with Adrian to ward off interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.



- PSV Eindhoven striker Jeremain Lens, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, has admitted to Elf Voetbal that he is interested in playing in the Premier League.

Campbell: I can 'fix' Torres

Former Olympic sprint champion Darren Campbell has claimed he could solve Fernando Torres' goalscoring problems for Chelsea.

Campbell, who won gold in the 4x100m at the Athens Games eight years ago, believes Torres needed just a fortnight's specialist training to recover most of his lost pace.



Torres briefly worked with Campbell during his first year at Stamford Bridge, prior to the departure of Dr Bryan English as Chelsea's medical director during Andre Villas-Boas' reign.



Interim manager Rafael Benitez suggested on Tuesday that Torres needed to do gym work to regain his explosive power.



And Campbell, a sprint coach in football and rugby union, told the Daily Telegraph: "It's something that is best done in pre-season but I think Fernando just needs two weeks when he hasn't got to worry about playing on the Saturday and just put in a nice two-week training programme that I think would definitely bring the majority of his speed back.



"I'm sure I could fix him. It doesn't have to be a lengthy process because these guys are already extremely fit. That's the great thing about working with footballers and rugby players. You're not having to worry about the base fitness so you just go in and teach the raw speed.



"In the case of Fernando, I think he would also probably need to do a bit of weightlifting as well as the running and the speed drills to put some power back into his muscles. That's why sprinters lift weights, to gain that explosive speed and power."



Meanwhile, Los Angeles Galaxy chief executive Tim Leiweke has admitted he is "honoured" his club have been linked with a move for Frank Lampard.



Lampard has long been touted with a move to Major League Soccer as a big-name replacement for David Beckham, who is quitting Galaxy at the end of their season.



Leiweke told Sky Sports News: "Chelsea is a club we have a great relationship with.



"We've heard of other players mentioned that are playing in Europe and we want to respect their clubs and where they're at."



But he added: "When you mention the likes of Frank Lampard to me, he's one of the class acts of football. I'm a huge fan of him as an individual, a huge fan of him as a captain and a huge fan of him as a player.



"We're honoured that anyone would even speculate that Frank would want to come here, that's a good day."

Benitez insists he can help Torres

Rafael Benitez insists he can help Fernando Torres rediscover his form and win over the Stamford Bridge faithful.



Benitez got a frosty reception from sections of the club's support when he made his first appearance in the dug-out against Manchester City on Sunday.



But he is adamant that he can revive the fortunes of the club and Torres - and get the fans back on side in the process.



"I understand the fans and how they feel," he told Sky Sports News. "I will try to prove I am here for the right reasons and I want to win.



"Imagine if you are a player who is struggling. I would say 'Stay focused, try to do your job, don't get distracted, concentrate on your football'.



"For me it is the same, I want to concentrate on coaching, improve the players and bring the fans back.



"I understand the feeling of the fans because of my time at Liverpool. We had a rivalry which was quite difficult.



"Torres can come back, but how far? I don't know. It depends on the team. Yes he can improve, I am sure he can improve, but it depends on the team to help him.



"I am not under pressure to pick him because Daniel Sturridge is still injured so I don't have many options."

Torres dropped for Eden Hazard against Juventus

Fernando Torres has been dropped by Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo for the crunch Champions League clash with Juventus.

The £50million Spanish striker will be replaced by Eden Hazard as the visitors look for at least a point to keep their European campaign alive.



The idea of having the Chelsea failure on his CV certainly irks the ex-Liverpool striker, but he has privately accepted he must leave west London, with Spain his preferred destination.



Potentially, Torres could return to Atletico Madrid as part of Chelsea's move to sign Radamel Falcao.



Torres' disastrous spell at Stamford Bridge plummeted further on Saturday after putting in another lacklustre display in the 2-1 defeat against West Bromwich.



And Roberto Di Matteo is today giving serious consideration to dropping the club's record signing for the trip to Turin.



Last week, Di Matteo admitted any manager would love to have Falcao in his team as Chelsea step up their interest in the Atletico striker.

Abramovich is ready to concede his £50m gamble on Torres has failed and the Blues owner will make funds available for Di Matteo.



Manchester City and Real Madrid are also interested in the 26-year-old Falcao, who scored a stunning hat-trick against Chelsea in the European Super Cup.

On Friday, Di Matteo said: 'Falcao is one of the best strikers, probably, in European and world football. His ratio of goals per game is quite impressive not just this season but over the last three years, at Porto and Atletico Madrid. If you ask any manager, he'd have him in his team.



'I know the window's nearing and there'll be a lot of speculation for our club, but whatever we do we'll keep it behind closed doors.'

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Torres: I hated being called 'El Nino'

Fernando Torres has revealed he hated the nickname ‘El Nino’ and always found it insulting that team-mates and supporters could not be bothered to learn his name.

The Chelsea striker, who was prolific in the Barclays Premier League when he first arrived at Liverpool from Atletico Madrid, has revealed nobody wanted to talk to him because they felt threatened.

Speaking to Chelsea’s official website, Torres said: ‘It’s not easy to come somewhere new and have to find your place. You might feel someone doesn’t like you or you might need to find new friends, it’s not easy and I don’t like this kind of thing. It’s not easy, so you want to protect the players who are alone.

‘It’s what I learned when I was 16 and arrived in Atletico’s dressing room, nobody wanted to talk to me because they were threatened. They called me “El Nino” because nobody knew my name. I didn’t like it and it shouldn’t be like that, but dressing rooms are very complicated with players coming from different parts of the world and with different roles.

‘I was captain in Atletico at 19, playing in the same team as Demetrio Albertini who won three Champions Leagues and Sergi Barjuan from Barcelona, who had won everything, and they were 32, 33.

‘I was a kid as captain, so I wasn’t the real captain, just a kid learning from them. I wore the armband but they were the leaders and I learned a lot from them.

‘I remember when I first came to Liverpool, Pepe Reina helped with everything and he made it easy for me. When I was Atletico Madrid captain I tried to help everyone. These are the basics in football, you need to create an atmosphere and try to create a group of friends. It’s not easy and it doesn’t always happen but you have to try.’

Chelsea are building something of a Spanish mafia at Stamford Bridge, with Torres joined by Oriol Romeu, Juan Mata and most recently Cesar Azpilicueta.





But Torres insists he is not in charge!

‘No, I am not the father figure! You have all the things you learned in your head that you can use for the good of the team, and that’s what I do here, but I don’t like to be a leader, maybe an example as someone to follow if you like.

‘We are all young still, and friends. I have been playing with Juan in the national team since the Confederations Cup in 2009, and since then we have been friends. I was so happy when he came here, and we have helped Oriol and now Azpi to settle. There are also some staff, I think there are seven of us in total in the dressing room, so it makes it easier for the new guys to have people here helping them.

‘There is no leader who has to talk for the others. Helping each other is a job we should do, it’s not a job Juan has to thank me for.

‘(Mata and I) go out to dinner sometimes or meet up at each other’s homes to watch TV shows we all follow,’ Torres confirms. ‘When you’re in a new city you try to be next to people you know, and then after that you make your own friends but we can all join together too.

‘Football is a team sport and not an individual sport. We win as a team and every individual is better if we are part of the team,’ he stresses. ‘If we win trophies we have the chance to win individual awards because it comes with the team targets.

‘If we win the Champions League, everyone is a better, more recognised player, but if you win an individual award and nothing with your team, it means nothing. You have to win with the team, and for the team.

‘In your life you go through a difficult situation or a very good situation and you have different moods, but you learn things from your experiences.’