11 goals in 50 appearances for Chelsea last season, albeit 17 of those were from the bench. But is that all the Spanish wizard offers? No.
12 assists, and countless other chances created by him, shows there is much more to the man than just a goals per game ratio.
Take Wayne Rooney, 6 assists. Van Persie, 9. Aguero, 9. All these players also started upwards of 40 games for their clubs this season.
Okay, Torres has been guilty of missing some guilt edge chances, but simply blaming El Nino for Chelsea’s poor league performance shows very low maturity, and a lack of understanding of the modern game.
Take the European Championship final against Italy. After coming on as a sub, slotting home the final sword in the Italian coffin, he set-up fellow Stamford Bridge teammate Juan Mata, to stroke home another killer blow, with his first touch of the tournament.
Did Torres know that assist would hand him the Golden Boot? Unlikely. He could well have attempted to round Buffon and slot home, or shoot before, to put himself on his own island with four goals, instead of marooning himself with five others on that three goal mark.
It was perhaps fitting that he should win the title through the fact that he had less game time than the likes of Gomez, Balotelli, Dzagoev, and it was that final assist that handed that title to him.
Fair enough, it may take a while for the blonde-locked striker to repay his £50m transfer fee, but a season consisting in a Champions League, FA Cup, Euro Champs, and Golden Boot quadruple, hardly spells failure, although the media are quick to jump on his back and mention the inflated transfer fee.
If last season was a failure, then Chelsea fans throughout the land will be praying for an average season next time out.
Speculation is rife around Stamford Bridge, with Eden Hazard already on the books, him and Juan Mata should be able to create many more chances next season for Torres, who did have to deal with poor delivery from time to time, although Mata’s debut season could hardly have gone better, he was stuck with two mens jobs consistently.
There is also countless reports of The Blues attempting to bring in a striker, although with Sturridge hopefully ready to shine at the Olympics, and Lukaku waiting in the wings, there may well be no need to throw more money at a frontman.
One thing is for sure, is that Drogbas presence shall be missed, but there is no reason why Torres cannot carry on the good work he has started at Chelsea, and over the next few years, fire them to a well-overdue Premier League crown.
Manchester watch out. El Nino is back.
By Brad Smith
Follow @BrummieBrad
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