Torres blames Alonso

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

sale

 

can't see this already posted

 

Fernando Torres has identified the sale of Liverpool's "engine", Xabi Alonso, as one of the principal reasons for the club's struggles this year. The Spanish striker also said the club's current team were not strong enough mentally to overcome a poor start. Yet despite his damning analysis he said Liverpool could recover with "a vengeance", with Rafael Benítez as manager.

 

In a frank assessment of a miserable season at Anfield, in which Champions League qualification is in jeopardy and when doubts have been raised over where Torres, Steven Gerrard and Benítez will be next term, the Liverpool striker blamed last summer's transfer strategy for much of the club's problems.

 

Torres admits to witnessing parallels between Liverpool and Atlético Madrid, the boyhood club he left in frustration in 2007, and cites the £30m sale of Alonso to Real Madrid, Alvaro Arbeloa's £3.5m move to the same club and Sami Hyypia's transfer to Bayer Leverkusen as causes of the club's failure to build on last season's second-placed finish in the Premier League.

 

In an interview with the Spanish sports magazine Don Balon, Torres said: "There have been various important factors, like the fact that we were so far off the top of the table so quickly. That killed us psychologically and has stopped us changing the situation. After that, injuries hit us pretty hard and we have felt that a lot. After a good season last year, the team needed certain reinforcements and keep the squad together, but circumstances dictated that we had to sell players and everything got messed up.

 

"The sale of Arbeloa, Hyypia and Alonso was an important loss. Alvaro was a player who did a vital job for us, always played to a high level and his flexibility was a huge bonus. Sami may not have played every week but he was a 10 out of 10 on and off the pitch, bringing calm to the ground and having everyone's admiration.

 

"And Xabi … players like Xabi are very rare. He was the team's engine and you know that when you change an engine, it takes time to work again."

 

The Europa League represents Liverpool's last chance of silverware this season and Torres, who will be fit to face Benfica in the quarter-final second leg at Anfield tomorrow, concedes there are similarities between recent disappointments and his ultimate disillusionment at Atlético. He added: "It's difficult to compare [the two clubs] because the level of expectation and the sort of objectives we have are totally different, as much in a personal sense as a collective one. But, yes, you could say that there have been certain situations that look similar, above all in this last year."

 

Torres's comments may heighten speculation over his Liverpool future, although the 26-year-old has repeatedly said that he wants to stay at Anfield, providing the squad is strengthened this summer. The striker believes Benítez will remain as Liverpool's manager and does not consider the club to be in terminal decline.

 

"Rafa signed a five-year contract last summer because he wants to improve the club. So I think that this new era of Rafa's is only just starting," he said. "Big clubs in Europe always go through difficult spells where it appears as though there is no light at the end of the tunnel. But because they are big clubs, they always come back and they do so with a vengeance. It is just a matter of time."

[Falconhoof]

He's saying Lucas and Mascherano doesn't work as a partnership. He's a clever lad that Torres.

[cymrococh]

The first one to bring Sami up.

 

I think he was a massive loss to the team dynamic.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Captain Sanil Crastow

[Swipe]

The first one to bring Sami up.

 

I think he was a massive loss to the team dynamic.

 

Agree. He would have played loads of times this season as well.

 

A big, big loss.

[cymrococh]

Agree. He would have played loads of times this season as well.

 

A big, big loss.

He was a pure winner as well, remember them huddles we used to have in GH's time? He would kick ass in there then go and put the reducer on any world-cup-winning nancy who got in his way.

 

He'd f*cking drag us through the likes of Birmingham away.

[Jarg Armani]

Selling Sami was f*cking stupid.

 

Not putting him in the CL squad was a joke.

[Stevie H]

Selling Sami was f*cking stupid.

 

Not putting him in the CL squad was a joke.

bites like f*** that now doesn't it? we'd probably be half a dozen points or more better off if he'd played regularly this season.

[goose island]

Selling Sami was f*cking stupid.

 

Not putting him in the CL squad was a joke.

 

 

would have understood the CL squad omission if he was getting more games in the league, but this wasn't the case early on in the season. he was underestimated and the skrtel - carragher partnership got overrated.

 

as good as kyrgiakos has been when he's been required to fill in, it makes no sense when measured against letting sami go.

[Buzz]

The first one to bring Sami up.

 

I think he was a massive loss to the team dynamic.

Definately, on and off the pitch.

[Mike]

Selling Sami was f*cking stupid.

 

Not putting him in the CL squad was a joke.

 

didn't even want to leave did he. f*** me what a stupid decision.

[Raj]

didn't even want to leave did he. f*** me what a stupid decision.

 

really? i thought that we offered him a one year contract, but he got two from Bayer and the chance to play more games.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

eh? Sami was offered a new contract, he didn't take it - I think he was offered 1 year & wanted 2 or something

[yellow jumper]

he wanted to play. we offered him a player/coaching role didn't we?

 

we should have spent the alonso money on a centre half.

[Sion]

really? i thought that we offered him a one year contract, but he got two from Bayer and the chance to play more games.

 

you're right of course.

but let's get some sly digs in at the manager yeahhhhhhhh

 

f*** you rafa selling sami against his will

[cymrococh]

Sami should have got whatever he wanted.

[Hassony]

really? i thought that we offered him a one year contract, but he got two from Bayer and the chance to play more games.

 

 

yes, I think Rafa said that the door will always be open for Hyypia to comeback to joing the coaching team

[Des]

bites like f*** that now doesn't it? we'd probably be half a dozen points or more better off if he'd played regularly this season.

 

I still wake up screaming thinking about Skrtel v Man City.

[yellow jumper]

Sami should have got whatever he wanted.

 

i saw leverkeusen-frankfurt at the weekend, and he shouldn't have got assurances that he'd be our starting centre half.

Edited April 7, 2010 by george lees

[Stevie H]

Sami should have got whatever he wanted.

sami with custard.

 

future manager of ours sami.

[Sion]

 

we should have spent the alonso money on a centre half.

We should have spent half of it on a CM who actually plays football and the other half on a striker.

Our defence hasn't been THAT bad.

[Hassony]

I still wake up screaming thinking about Skrtel v Man City.

 

 

He did put in a top class performance in the away game against city to be fair

[Stevie H]

I still wake up screaming thinking about Skrtel v Man City.

the carragher / skrtel spurs headbutt still sums up this season for me. much more than the beachball.

[Raj]

The thing that f***s me off about all of this, is we should have gone out of our way to keep these players. Double their wages, whatever it took to keep them here. Thats what Chelsea and Man Utd would have done. We should have been adding to the squad. Get in Glen Johnson, Buy another striker and an attacking midfielder. We would have been in fine shape this season.

What did we get? No money, more problems.

[Hassony]

i saw leverkeusen-frankfurt at the weekend, and he shouldn't have got assurances that he'd be our starting centre half.

 

 

leverkeusen are just doing their annual bottling in the second half of the season

[Raj]

i saw leverkeusen-frankfurt at the weekend, and he shouldn't have got assurances that he'd be our starting centre half.

 

I read that he had been fantastic for them this season. Maybe he had an off game there