10 Reasons Fernando Torres Failed At Chelsea

6. Poor Form Going Into The Move

Fernando Torres' form at Chelsea may have persistently resided on the wrong side of hopeless, but while the pressure of his move from Liverpool and the circumstances under which it was conducted undoubtedly were a big contributing factor, his struggles in front of actually actually go a little further back to the start of the 2010/11 season. Rumours of a move had been brewing ever since former manager Rafael Benitez had left the club that summer under a cloud. Despite Torres scoring an impressive 18 league goals the year before for a total of 22 overall, Liverpool had finished 7th, resulting in the club missing out on Champions League qualification. The departure the year before of key playmaker Xabi Alonso was also seen as a contributing factor in Torres' supposed unhappiness as the Spanish contingent at the club had weakened considerably. Roy Hodgson was brought in as manager after enjoying some success at Fulham, but his pre-season preparations were repeatedly disrupted by talk that his star striker wanted to leave in search of Champions League football. Hodgson failed to steady the ship and the departure of Javier Mascherano to Barcelona on further convinced that Liverpool were a side in freefall. The instability was clearly also having an effect on Torres, who had already missed pre-season through injury and was struggling to find the net with the same regularity as he had the season before. Hodgson was sacked shortly after Christmas and club hero Kenny Dalglish was brought in to salvage the team's season and bring the restless Anfield crowd back onside. While the team's form improved, performances from many key players remained below par, Torres among them. A brace against Wolves inspired hope that he was starting to find his feet again, but ultimately proved to be his final goals for the club, finishing with 9 in 26 appearances for the season before moving to the Blues.