#21 | Ferran Torres - 2021/22 Performances

[eastmanc]

I think the way both sets of international fans were up for this match,it meant a hell of a lot to those attending....,regardless of the competition label; Italian fans were loud in their support...who wouldn't be if your side had gone 37 matches unbeaten at international level.??..that does take some doing..something to be proud of,imo.
Spain,and their supporters were clearly up for it...

Perhaps the greatest illustration that this was not a " glorified friendly" is the reaction of the Italian team to the sending off, imploring the ref not to take action,..one player placing both hands on the refs shoulder pleading for mercy.
Both Italy and Spain took the matter very seriously,it looked a Great match,imo.

37 games unbeaten is an unbelievable achievement. Bobby has done a fantastic job with that side.

 

[domalino]

My mistake as I didn’t realise it was the semi final. In my ignorance I never thought the semis were so soon after the euro final.

I think the semis & final were supposed to be in the summer like the one England lost 1 years ago but the delay of the Euros by a year threw a spanner in the works.

 

[FantasyIreland]

He's not a striker, that's why.

He's a wide forward like Salah or Ronaldo who is an excellent finisher.

He can do a job upfront against the right opposition - one that let's him use his skills from out wide against the defence like running off the shoulder.

Thats not being a striker though, and he lacks all the other skills. He can't hold the ball up and play with his back to goal, his movement when against a deep defence is non existent and he doesn't drop deep to help the midfield and link up the wingers. He cant get tight to a centreback and pull them out of position.

Lacking these skills makes him a passenger in a lot of games and go 10 minutes without a touch, which is why Pep didn't play him last week in 3 massive games where we couldn't afford that.

If people looked at the role of striker as a whole instead of just thinking "ooh he scores goals, must be a 9" then they'd never think Torres is going to be a striker, he lacks 80% of the skills that the position requires.

Will he learn them? Probably not, it would take years of playing there every week. Could he be a great wide forward and be rotated into false 9 against the right sides? Definitely.


The key for Torres is the Gabriel Jesus partnership because Jesus does the 80% of the striker role that Torres can't, and Torres has the clinical finishing Jesus lacks.

And that is the problem.....and why i have said previously we probably wouldn't miss him if sold.He is a bit of a jack of all trades but not master enough to gain the playing time his ability and age require.
I was thinking if we concentrated on 'making' him a striker then he would have a career here,otherwise i see him always being on the fringes and that seems a huge waste.

 

[MarsLlama]

Problem is we play the same way with Torres up front as we do with Sterling, Foden or Grealish there. Spain played Torres like a striker and he scored two goals in one half. Whoever we play as a 'false 9' just doesn't score because they're basically just there to occupy the defenders.

 

[Father Paul]

Then why is everyone clamouring for a striker?

Those are chances created for "strikers", if Pep doesn't want us to create chances like this then we shouldn't bother pursuing one.

False 9 is great and all and I've been a big fan of it, but never hurts to have a real 9 and play in service to our striker.

Our current system is more in service to creating chances for the wingers with the striker making our attack click. I don't mind that, but people thinking that "If we just had a striker" would solve all of our problems are really misinformed, because your right, we don't play this way, but we should sometimes when we change things mid game.

Probably answered your own question there. Pep clearly wants or needs a certain type of striker. Maybe he still has a vision of perfection which equates to Messi in his prime. He probably got a secret hard on with Salah last Sunday after his performance. A superb playmaker combined with a lethal finisher, a kind of super false nine.

A classic goal hanger or run in behind merchant which Torres seems to be may not float his boat.
I think both Kun and Lewandowski were able to do enough to approximate Pep's ideal and got a lot of game time under him. Haaland and to a lesser extent Kane may also fit into this category but whether either of these rock up to the Etihad remains to be seen.

 

[domalino]

And that is the problem.....and why i have said previously we probably wouldn't miss him if sold.He is a bit of a jack of all trades but not master enough to gain the playing time his ability and age require.
I was thinking if we concentrated on 'making' him a striker then he would have a career here,otherwise i see him always being on the fringes and that seems a huge waste.

He's 21. At Valencia he was a dribbly creative winger, now he's turning into a finisher. He's still finding his feet and it's only his second season (and the first was heavily disrupted by covid). I expect he will take a big step up this season as he settles in the country properly post-covid and has the usual second season leap like so many before him.

There's no rush.

 

[blueparrot]

He's 21. At Valencia he was a dribbly creative winger, now he's turning into a finisher. He's still finding his feet and it's only his second season (and the first was heavily disrupted by covid). I expect he will take a big step up this season as he settles in the country properly post-covid and has the usual second season leap like so many before him.

There's no rush.

Think 2 years from now he will be one of the best front 3 players in europe. I expect him to be at least Salah/ Mane level maybe better.

 

[vincent]

He's not a striker, that's why.

He's a wide forward like Salah or Ronaldo who is an excellent finisher.

He can do a job upfront against the right opposition - one that let's him use his skills from out wide against the defence like running off the shoulder.

Thats not being a striker though, and he lacks all the other skills. He can't hold the ball up and play with his back to goal, his movement when against a deep defence is non existent and he doesn't drop deep to help the midfield and link up the wingers. He cant get tight to a centreback and pull them out of position.

Lacking these skills makes him a passenger in a lot of games and go 10 minutes without a touch, which is why Pep didn't play him last week in 3 massive games where we couldn't afford that.

If people looked at the role of striker as a whole instead of just thinking "ooh he scores goals, must be a 9" then they'd never think Torres is going to be a striker, he lacks 80% of the skills that the position requires.

Will he learn them? Probably not, it would take years of playing there every week. Could he be a great wide forward and be rotated into false 9 against the right sides? Definitely.


The key for Torres is the Gabriel Jesus partnership because Jesus does the 80% of the striker role that Torres can't, and Torres has the clinical finishing Jesus lacks.

Great post.

 

[vincent]

Think 2 years from now he will be one of the best front 3 players in europe. I expect him to be at least Salah/ Mane level maybe better.

Salah level…Blimey. Hope you’re right as he is one of the best players in the world. Not convinced myself.

 

[domalino]

Salah level…Blimey. Hope you’re right as he is one of the best players in the world. Not convinced myself.

Worth remembering that he is/was viewed as a Foden level talent in Spain. In the u17 Euros final, the headline billing was Sancho and Foden vs Torres & Abel Ruiz.

Secondly, remember where Salah was at 21. Failing pretty poorly at Chelsea.

14 goals in 22 games for Spain is pretty absurd at 21. Fernando Torres took 36 to get that many, David Villa took 31 and Raul took 26.