FERNANDO TORRES PLEA
Striker demands Rafa Benitez make summer signings
FERNANDO TORRES has urged Rafa Benitez to deliver one of his amigos to Anfield and help Liverpool finally wrest the Premier League title from Manchester United.
The Spaniard insists the Reds need a more creative presence alongside him if they are to end their 20-year wait for the league championship.
Torres was injured for large chunks of last season but still scored 14 league goals as Liverpool finished four points adrift of United. Now he wants his boss to lay out around £25million to lure either David Villa, David Silva or Juan Mata to the club and unload some of the scoring burden.
The striker believes just one of these superstar players will make the difference for Liverpool as draws at home to Stoke, Fulham, West Ham and Hull cost them the title last season.
"We lost a lot of points against teams in the middle of the table," admitted Torres. "And we have to improve on that because if we can get 10 more points at home I think we can win the Premier League.
"English football is very difficult because it's very physical and played at a high tempo. We have a fantastic team to play against the big teams and we are competitive.
"But maybe against those teams lower down we are not good enough. We have to improve that and I think we can. I think we can definitely be stronger at home. We have some very good players but maybe we need other players. I hope Liverpool will bring people like Silva, Mata or Villa. These are small players with quality like United had with Carlos Tevez and also with Paul Scholes.
"They are clever players and maybe they can make the difference. Yossi Benayoun plays like these kind of players and I hope we can bring more like that so then we have different options to play against all the sides.
"It was frustrating but football is difficult against the smaller teams. We need players with quality to try to win these matches and I want Liveprool to sign players like this.
"We finished four points behind United but we are improving. We are getting more points every season. I know that every year we can finish with more points. I have recommended the names to Benitez and I hope we have the money."
Torres lit up the Confederations Cup in the group stages alongside Villa, Silva and Mata but Spain had to settle for a place in today's third place play-off after surprisingly losing the semi-final to the USA.
Torres, 25, believes he is just weeks away from the biggest season of his career as he chases title success with Liverpool the World Cup glory with Spain. "It can be a great year for me and many other people. We have a fantastic team here in Spain so we can win the World Cup and that's the biggest competition in the world," he said.
"And if we can win the Premier League with Liverpool it would be an amazing season for me and for all the Liverpool and Spain players. I hope it can happen."
This article has 40 comments
Man utd Sucks! what can he do now as he has lose tevez and ronaldo!!! absolutely Nothing!!!
By Lfc forever. Posted July 13 2009 at 3:37 PM.
i dont support Liverpool but like them,
Alex u forgot u lost your best player apart from rooney no one else gonna score ron got you like 50 odd goals in 2 years u dont have anyone else gonna do that, no one else around gonna do tht either.
By John Moscoso. Posted July 4 2009 at 2:28 PM.
even if u get all 3 of them, still u wont win the title coz u cant close it out against the bottom half of the league..... They come to Anfield with only one target!!! Defend with their lives!!! so better gear up and work around a strategy to break them!!!
Torres is good!!! But u need more creative minds to win the title...
AIG.... Alex is God!!!! Red Devil for Life
By anay. Posted July 3 2009 at 10:07 PM.
with the 20m spent on johnson, liverpool only have 3m left to spent. by selling alonso, dossena, babel, deggen and vorronin, maybe liverpool have a hope to buy one of this three superstar. i will rather choose villa than the other 2. as u can see liverpool need a another striker help torres. buying mata or silva is not so worth it as they have riera on their side. playing stevie as 2nd striker will waste his career as midfielder where he is good in that position. rafa should know the best for liverpool after all.....
By indra. Posted July 1 2009 at 9:37 AM.
Where do you think Rafael will get this money to buy Sliva or Villa? Do you want him to sell you inorder to use the money for these players?
Go United go.
By Emmy Duku.. Posted June 29 2009 at 2:17 AM.
they are all clearly really good players but why sell alonso to get them i think hes a better midfield player than mata and silva by far !!!!!!!!!!!!
By lee blades. Posted June 28 2009 at 9:33 PM.
I hope we bet Mata. He looks like the kind of player that could adapt to the EPL fast, and he can play on the left wing.
Silva is a great winger but we really needed an out and out striker to finish the chances we had in those games!
By Farradin. Posted June 28 2009 at 7:07 PM.
i think rafa knows best i dont think we can afford more than 1 more top class signing, rafa said would be signing 1 or 2 players unlike previous seaons. This is good thing as half battle is we keep making wholesale changes to team this time jus fine tuning plz.
personally i think silva would suit us best but the noises from rafa seems suggest it might be a shock signing of villa! lets face it who wouldnt want him in your side? roll on next season!
By rubaub. Posted June 28 2009 at 6:32 PM.
Benedict.. my point earlier did not say that liverpool do not need another striker. I said that we need a winger like Silva as a priority to free up Kuyt to play up front at times as well as another quality young stiker who can score goals from the bench and as a replacement for Torres when injured. My point was that someone like Villa would not fit into Rafas system week in and week out and would then end up feeling dejected just like Keane did which is why he was ultimately sold. And as we were playing probably the best we have in years for the last 12 weeks of the season with a system that is adopted by almost every successful team in Europe I think that system is working well. All this call for two strikers and a more 442 orientated system to include one class player is just the idle talk of people like you who know noting about football. I think Rafa will agree with me and we'll see over the summer!
By kbothwell2000. Posted June 28 2009 at 3:39 PM.
i thinks liverpool should buy david villa so he can links up with torres and get silva as cover striker when villa or torres out
from sajjad
By sajjad. Posted June 28 2009 at 3:30 PM.
I agree with the rest plz buy silva + st. get some money bk by selling babel,lucas,dossena etc.... the players that arn't good enough for the pool.come on you yanks make us liverpool fans happy.
By james. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:49 PM.
we should sign villa..silva, jaquian then richards. thats if the owners really care about the club. forget the debt take another loan out i say!!!!
By sam hanrahan. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:28 PM.
Well,i can reason with what El nino is try to say.Buying one of those play makers will strength the team.If lpool ll go any of the 3players,my advice is to go for silva cos we cant afford villa's price tag, & whenever torres gets injurred,kuyt or Babel ll go up front nd silva ll definitely fit in to 7.Let RAFA signs silva as my own suggestion as a committed liverpool fan.
By Benedict. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:37 PM.
Kbothwell2000, anyone who says Liverpool don't need another striker because the current system is so succesful knows nothing about football. Remind me, what did we win last year, the year before and the year before that? Thats very succesfull isn't it?Liverpool lost the league because they sold Keane. We were sitting pretty at the top, until Rafa dropped him just to get at Rick Parry. If we don't buy another quality player who can score goals, its another year of nothing i'm afraid.
By Damo. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:31 PM.
I've been saying for weeks that we should buy David Villa. If Alonso or Mascherano leave? we can put Gerrard back in midfield, and play Villa just behind Torres. If either torre's or Villa get injured we play Gerrard just behind and use either benny or riera in midfield alongside masch or alonso, we would still have a decent midfield. But, if we sell the deadbeats like, babel, lucas , dossena, etc. we use the money to buy Silva. We did need anothe rright back because when arbeloa was injured carra didn't want to play at right back, it left us exposed on the right. carra doesn't have the speed to play right back, which is why he prefers central defence.
my advice is sell the deadbeats buy Villa and Silva and the Prem's ours for the taking, and maybe the CL as well, we will have a stronger squad for all 4 comps next season if we buy just 2 more players, ie. the ones I mentioned.
By bonnythescouser. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:25 PM.
....................Reina..................
....Johnson..Carra..Skrtel.Aurelio..
..............Mascherano................
.......Kuyt..................Benayoun..
.................Gerrard...................
.......Torres............Villa.............
that would easily be the best team in the PL and probably in europe after real madrid of course :( best formation that rafa could pick with the signing of david villa. sell alonso to fund villa. if villa signin fails the silva would play on the right with kuyt supporting gerrard and torres up front. :)
Liverpool FC - PL Champions 09 - 10
Torres = Legend
By matt. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:14 PM.
Pliz Liverpool funs and managers lets take the advice of the player,he has seen the loophole in the squard for the time he has been with Liverpool.
By Stanley. Posted June 28 2009 at 11:48 AM.
Sell Masch and let alonso take up his role as his doing for spain and we can then use the funds to get silva o mata coz am sure we can't afford Villa
By Simawe. Posted June 28 2009 at 11:09 AM.
To everyone saying Liverpool should buy Villa you clearly know nothing bout football. Liverpool operate best with one forward up front and Stevie G sitting just behind. Why would Villa want to come to Liverpool to sit on the bench waiting for Torres to be injured? And why would we change a successful system just to suit Villa. Look what happened when we tried to do this for Keane. We need to get Silva so that we can use Kuyt and Babel up front when Torres is injured without losing quality out wide. If Rafa decides to let Babel go as he is not reaching his potential then we need to use this money to buy a young striker with talent like Negredo, Bueno or Mata to act as Torres understudy whilst having enough quality to come on and make a difference in tight games from the bench. So please no more calls for Villa, Eto or any other £35-£45 million pound stirker when it would not suit our system and don't comment if you have no clue about Football like the guy who called Silva "Silver" and thought this would make us "Silverpool" lol
By Kbothwell2000. Posted June 28 2009 at 10:56 AM.
what he's trying to say is sign some more quality and take the burden off him n gerrard coz there playing wiv a load of cart horses.
By wilson. Posted June 28 2009 at 10:54 AM.
what torres is talking about here is first either villa or mata to join this is beacause of draws or losses against the lower teams amd both provide it,
silva would provide the creativeness and mata
By usman. Posted June 28 2009 at 9:53 AM.
Getting Torres backup/patner is important to our next season. But those advocating 4 a spanish player do not see how L'pool's dressing room will look like. It will almost certainly look like a spanish national team.
This will of course affect us during international friendlies in preparation 4 world cup and in CL. ADVICE 2 Alonso and Masch. Quit pool at yr own risk. B4 u gain yr form in another league, the national team coach will have dropped you. so, remain with lpool to grantee yr wc performance.
By myers. Posted June 28 2009 at 9:02 AM.
i think what torres has suggested is the best ideal 4 benitez and i cant wait to see that happen as a liverpool fan.
By courage osasehi. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:47 AM.
liverpool should buy david villa to partnership torres
By dinish. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:24 AM.
if alonso or masch are really going keep one of them and use the money for the other to buy silva or villa. we've got to keep either the masch or alonso though we cant lose both!
By nandooooooooooo. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:13 AM.
Raffa only needs one other player ,so like Torres says david villa,silver if he sells alonso then,silver would be a good bet then it would be silverpool, Raffa just buy and lets win the league prem or champions league .Torres to score 30 plus goals . thanks to the yanks we got Torres
By k woods. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:14 AM.
with david villa the title is ours. with silva that is a title surety. with torres,villa and silva, we will dominate epl.and champions league. please get the money from somewhere. even if we find a mideast backer,please,please,please
By roland jones. Posted June 28 2009 at 7:57 AM.
I agree, big T. knows the players he wants to play with, give him the feed balls he loves and helps to balance the team.
The Americans need to stump up the cash for 2 players a winger and a strike partner for the big man.
The returns they will get next year from Liverpool winning the league will easily out weigh any cost this summer for two players.
They must think how much more investment it would pull in for them if they were to win the champions league or Premiership this next season.
Come guys dig deep and show us that you are there to Back RB when he needs you...
By Roxx. Posted June 28 2009 at 7:20 AM.
Cmon Rafa splash the cash plzzz!!
By elnino. Posted June 28 2009 at 6:58 AM.
rafa knows what he is doing so leave him to it all you know it alls out there,just look at how the team has progressed thru the last 5 years,glen johnson is a superb signing,he brings a new dimension.
By ron. Posted June 28 2009 at 6:51 AM.
I get the feeling Liverpool had their chance last season and blew it! I can see them dropping down to 4th this season and maybe the Fat waiter will be off this time next yr if the new Real Madrid boss dont deliver the league
By Richard Vahey. Posted June 28 2009 at 5:26 AM.
Put a tenner on Villaa joinining Liverpool and give me half
By spencer. Posted June 28 2009 at 3:34 AM.
5/6 players ?2 fullbacks glen johnson ,insua,as for centrebacks carra,skrtel and agger thats 3, the backup gk is as good as your oap gk but we do need a winger but man u need to replace tevez ronaldo scholes giggs van der sar with 100m bring it on
By A.FINNIGAN. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:44 AM.
footballffan you are stupid. its not like they were far way last season; they dont need any more full backs unless arbeloa leaves; since when has reina been replaced in the league?; they havent been stretched for cb's and have always had quality there; the winger and forward you are right but thats all they need really unless they sell and want to freshen the squad. lavezzi is a must plus either silva or i really wish gonzalo higuain. el zhar would surely provide more attacking flair than kuyt!
By steven. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:43 AM.
Liverpool will be as far away as ever - RB needs 5/6 quality players but he doesn't have the funds and he knows it. 2 full backs, a back-up GK, a decent back-up CB, a winger, and someone to take over when Torres is injured. With that they'll be in the running, nothing else.
By footballffan. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:22 AM.
Torres wants to keep his beak out of Rafa's transfer dealings.
That's what got Parry the sack after all!
By Darren. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:15 AM.
Rafa get silva or villa and we can win the if u look at the spain team look at what these players can bring to the team if look at the partnership of villa and nado since they have been pair together they have scored 83 goals and probable the most powerful striker partnership in the world at the moment
Break the bank and get villa and silva if u have not got the money offer some money and ryan babel and Dossena
By thomas. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:16 AM.
It seems the prodigal spaniard knows who suits his game, loads of suggestions floating around, just hope we have the funds..keirrison looks like a buy but barca placed bid today of 15m euros.
We really are just 1 or 2 away, comew on yanks find the funds
By Andy. Posted June 27 2009 at 11:56 PM.
enough said really, time to break the bank and sign one more player.
By dan. Posted June 27 2009 at 11:39 PM.
rafa get silva and a cover striker then we can win the title
By shahid. Posted June 27 2009 at 11:13 PM.