Mourinho: I can get more from Torres
Torres can again become the player who persuaded Chelsea to part with £50m, but the striker’s effectiveness is dependent on the opposition’s approach.
Chelsea’s pursuit of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has led to question marks over the future of Torres, who has struggled at times since his January 2011 arrival at Stamford Bridge from Liverpool, but Mourinho is confident of rejuvenating the FIFA World Cup™-winning Spaniard.
Mourinho considers that Torres is more adept and prolific when there is space to run behind defenders.
“I think I know Fernando quite well in terms of a player,” Mourinho said. “I think I know the best way for a team to play to try to get the best out of him, so I will try to help him, the same way I try to help other people.
“Sometimes it’s easy to say a player is not performing but that might not be fair because sometimes the way you play decides if someone is more comfortable or less comfortable on the pitch. He’s a striker more comfortable when he has space behind, when he has space for those runs, when he has space to get behind defenders.
“And he has it more difficult when opponents are very close, when opponents are compact and when he has to play in small spaces. He’s more a player to go into a space than to play with the ball on his feet.”
