Fernando Torres' performance since joining Chelsea has been below average on the field, and now the Spanish striker is taking a bit of heat for comments he has made off the field.
According to reports, Torres called out some of his older Chelsea teammates for being "very slow" in an interview with a Spanish soccer website. He reportedly posted a translated version of the interview on his personal website before removing the content.
There seems to be a discrepancy over if what Torres said was wrongly translated, and Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is out to get a copy of the original tape to get to the bottom of the issue.
"It's one player's perspective," Villas-Boas said to The Guardian (UK). "I don't think it's a perspective that the manager shares, but I don't have to share my players' ideas sometimes. He says he didn't say that. Maybe we just have to speak about that situation and he has to see our view as well. We'd just talk, share opinions."
Here are a few more stories from around the soccer world:
CELTIC GRANTED EUROPA LEAGUE SPOT
Scotland has a European pulse after all.
FC Sion was ruled out of the UEFA Europa League group stage after its appeal for being found guilty of using ineligible players in the qualifying matches was denied by UEFA on Tuesday.
Celtic, which Sion beat in the final qualifying round, will take the Swiss team's place and compete in Group I along with Udinese, Stade Rennes and Atletico Madrid. Its first game takes place in Madrid on Thursday. Celtic is the only Scottish team competing in continental play after Rangers was ousted from the Champions League and Europa League playoff rounds prior to the group stage.
FERDINAND OUT FOR UNITED UCL OPENER
Manchester United will not have Rio Ferdinand's services for its UEFA Champions League opener against Benfica on Wednesday.
Ferdinand, who played over the weekend against Bolton, is being rested as a precaution ahead of United's crucial early-season league match with Chelsea on Sunday. With Ferdinand not playing and Nemanja Vidic still nursing a calf injury, United will likely look to Phil Jones and Chris Smalling to man the heart of the defense in Lisbon.
DROGBA REMAINS SIDELINED WITH CONCUSSION
The Chelsea-Manchester United match will draw plenty of attention this weekend, but one player who won't be taking part in the game will be Didier Drogba, who remains sidelined with a concussion.
Drogba absorbed a blow to the head in Chelsea's win over Norwich City a couple of weeks ago and is being held out of action while symptoms of the concussion continue to subside.
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What do you make of Torres' alleged comments? How do you think Celtic will fare in its group? Do you see Benfica knocking off United with Ferdinand not playing? Think it's wise that Drogba stays out for longer?
Share your thoughts below.
Torres loses the ball too often on offense. Using an app (Guruvi Soccer app) I tracked a few of his matches and realized he lost the ball while dribbling with it about 20% of the time. Rooney, for example, only lost the ball 11% of the time for the games that I tracked. I’m not sure if the high turn over rate is Torres’s fault or more indicative of the offensive support that he gets from his teammates.
…but they play in Europe. So, they must be world class.
Only way for a scottish team to qualify for the group stage – protest.
Isn’t Torres a shell of his former self too? When you mostly rely on quickness to overcome defenders and becomed slowed by injuries, your career suffers.
Does that group of very slow Chelsea players include Torres?
Not that Torres should be rattling any cages right now, but he is pretty spot on.
Anelka and Lampard are really hurting the squad, and does anyone really need to address Terry?
I think this partly about the team and also partly about why Torres does not fit well within the team. Torres is an incredibly fast player, one of the fastest in the world and he thrives on a fast break or a quick offense where he is able to make darting runs.
Anelka kills any semblance of an attack with how he holds the ball up and the result is every Chelsea midfielder within 25 yards of goal.
From the start I said that Torres moving to Chelsea was a terrible idea for this exact reason. Chelsea is a clusterf*** of midfielders thinking they are forwards, and forwards thinking they are midfielders.
Bang bang bang the drum.
Yeah for real, he’s pretty right overall. I still think Chelsea is very talented, and the new additions will help a lot. That being said, you guys have it right.
The team needed new speed and youth (which they did a good job of getting I think). I think people are more angry because it’s Torres who is saying it. Score more than 1 goal in like 25 appearances and maybe people will listen to what you say
Chelsea is old. I’m glad he said it.
I’m a Chelsea fan, too. So move on. Liverpool wasn’t that much younger but they played differently than Chelsea.
Lamps, Terry, and even Drogba have been showing their age for a while now.
fernando is right.
anelka holds play up way to often. lampard is slow to react, doesnt make pulsating box to box runs or score from play anymore. heck, he cant even take free kicks on this team when he used to have one of the best right boots in the league. and dont get me started on john terry who at times is a former shell of himself and gets run about like a dingy on Loch Ness.