There have been few, if any, more frustrating Fantasy assets over the past or two than Fernando Torres. The 24-goal haul in his debut campaign with Liverpool may have been five seasons ago but many still cling to the old adage that class is permanent, despite his recent woes. Others insist El Nino is way past his best, that his pace is gone and, bitten once too often by disappointment, swear blind the Spaniard will never darken their Fantasy squad again:
Expectations were raised last term when Chelsea were afforded a kind opening schedule. Torres had notched just once in 14 games after joining from Liverpool in the January 2011 transfer window but, with new boss Andre Villas-Boas at the helm, the Spaniard was instilled as the lone forward in the 4-3-3 ahead of Didier Drogba for the start of the 2011/12 campaign. With Juan Mata purchased from Valencia to provide the creative spark, Torres was expected to thrive off the service of his fellow-Spaniard but the script didn’t quite go to plan.
Goalless in the first three Gameweeks – including home clashes with West Brom and Norwich – Torres was dropped to the bench against Sunderland the following week. Back in the starting XI for a trip to Old Trafford, his woeful open goal miss overshadowed a smartly-taken finish and underlined a player shorn of all confidence. Torres notched again the following week at home to Swansea but a wild two-footed challenge saw him pick up a three-match ban and signalled a downturn in game time and attacking output.
Didier Drogba’s African Cup of Nations duties afforded him a run of starts in January but Torres continued to frustrate and failed to find the net in the Ivorian’s absence. Indeed, he notched in just four league matches last season, returning a total of six goals and seven assists for a total of 92 points. His starting price of 11.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) had dropped to 9.9 by the end of the campaign and, with a mere 4% ownership, Torres scored less than half the points hauls of fellow Fantasy heavyweights such as Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero.
The Prospects
Back from Euro 2012 with the Golden Boot in hand, Torres will return to the Bridge with a spring in his step. The sceptre of Drogba no longer hangs over him and, with assurances from Roman Abramovich that he will be the club’s first-choice forward next term, a boost in confidence is maybe, just maybe, all that’s required to turn him into a bona fide goalscoring machine once again.
His cameo performance against Italy in the Euro 2012 final highlighted Torres’ capabilities if his team mates play to his strengths. A change in playing style is likely next term at Chelsea – Abramovich wants his team to entertain and dazzle their way to victory rather than grind out results and the Russian has already shown he is willing to splash the cash. The Blues have added Eden Hazard and Marko Marin to their ranks so far this summer – along with Mata, they form a trio of outstanding creators that will give Torres chances aplenty to feast upon as Roberto Di Matteo looks to add further silverware to the Champions League and FA Cup picked up at the tail end of last season.
A drop in price is on the cards across the Fantasy games, with an FPL valuation of 9.5 – 10.5 looking feasible and, with the likes of Van Persie, Rooney and Aguero all set to rise in cost, some will be contemplating Torres once again in light of Chelsea’s summer signings.
Certainly, the opening fixture list has been kind. A double Gameweek 1 sees Di Matteo’s side travel to Wigan before playing host to Reading and is sure to see huge investment come the Blues’ way. With home games against Newcastle, Stoke and Norwich, in addition to a trip to QPR all on the agenda by Gameweek 7, there is no question that Torres has one of the kindest starting schedules of any forward for the season ahead. Whether he fails or flourishes is really anyone’s guess; given his previous, snapping up Torres’ services will always be looked upon as a leap of faith – taking a punt depends on how much you still believe.
