Chelsea midfielders Michael Essien and Yossi Benayoun maintain belief in striker Fernando Torres
Chelsea and Ghana midfielder, Michael Essien revealed that out-of-form striker Fernando Torres had the team’s full support and that he believed the Spaniard would soon return to his goal scoring form. The Ghanaian was speaking ahead of the crucial UEFA Champions
League quarter-final second-leg clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Former Liverpool striker, Torres arrived at Stamford Bridge on the deadline day of the January transfer window for a record breaking fee of £50 million. However, since his arrival, he has not been able to find the back of the net. He has featured for the
Blues in the English Premier League and the Champions League but has not managed to score a single goal in 10 games.
The Blues midfielder insisted no one at Chelsea was bothered about Torres’ lack of goals and said he still believed the Spaniard was one of the best strikers in the world. The goal drought seems to have shattered the striker's confidence and it seems everyone
at the club is doing their best to reinstate belief in Torres ahead of the second leg of the Champions League.
Essien said while speaking to reporters, “To be honest, we're not concerned. We know it's going to come. He's been working very hard and has everyone's support. We just have to be patient. He'll start scoring for us in time. Nando is one of the best strikers
in the world at this moment. When he starts scoring, all the noise about him will stop. It's just a matter of time.”
The 28-year-old midfielder admitted it was hard for Torres to adjust to a new club in mid-season but maintained that the Spain international had the support of everyone at Stamford Bridge, he continued, “Coming into a new club, he needs to settle. The players
and the club have no doubts about him. We know he's going to deliver.”
Just a while back, former Liverpool and current Chelsea teammate Yossi Benayoun also spoke out in defense of Torres. The Israeli international shared the same belief as Essien, claiming that the striker needed time to adjust at the club before he could be
expected to produce results and more importantly goals. Benayoun also went on to claim that he felt Torres was the one of the top strikers in Europe.
The 30-year-old, who has been out of action since October, revealed he was willing to help out Torres in any way he could. Since he has previously played with Torres for three years at Anfield, Benayoun is aware of the striker's style of play and feels the
Blues have to change their formation, and reliance on Didier Drogba, for Torres to flourish.