Leverkusen Preview: Torres Storm in a Corrupt Tea Cup

Well, Ancelotti said it, Lampard has spoken about it, Villas-Boas has stressed the need to resolve it, Terry (perhaps cleverly) commented on it just at the weekend, and finally, the supporters have not stopped going on about it since at least midway through last season - So why does Torres find himself at the centre of such controversy for repeating it?

I refer of course, to Torres’s reported comments on the Chelsea midfield being slow and old.  The interview was published on the official website of the BBVA La Liga with a subsequent English translation on Torres’s official website.  There’s been so much coverage on the matter that, rather disappointingly, Villas-Boas has revealed that the club are looking into the situation and will study the interview.

My immediate thoughts on the matter were that the media were deliberately taking the interview out of context, and after reading his comments in Spanish, I see no reason to change that opinion.

What was said

Here are the key comments translated from Spanish (with no slant either way):

“Of all the English teams, Chelsea is possibly the least English.  Chelsea has a slower form of playing.”

He went on to say that the type of player that plays at the club is “Older and plays a lot slower but with a lot of possession.”

“It is this that the club is trying to change and its normal that this takes time.”

“It’s not easy to find central midfielders given that the best are already playing in the best teams.”  Torres then went on to say that Mata would provide a different tempo to the side.

As I have said above, there’s nothing there that many have not already said. The need to up the speed of ball distribution has been the main bone of contention for both supporters and people at the club for some time now.  The club has also long stressed the need to bring down the age of the side, and a quick glance at the ages of our midfielders it is hard to deny that they are “older”.

Anyway…

The line-up?

Torres was mostly rested for the match against Sunderland at the weekend and will probably start in tonight’s encounter against Leverkusen.  He NEEDS a goal and the sooner he gets it the sooner he is bound to spread his wings again and display the type of goal-scoring form of which we know he is capable.

Changes?

Drogba is obviously out still as a precaution so no doubt we will see a 4-3-3 with perhaps Malouda (also on the bench initially against Sunderland) along with Kalou on either “flank”.  Sturridge could well come on at around 65 mins after Kalou has displayed his usual mixture of promise, selfishness and bewildering decision making.  (Just watch him play a blinder now and score a hatrick!).

I’ve also a sneaky suspicion that we will see the first of Romeu in midfield tonight and I’m particularly looking forward to the long awaited return of Luiz.

Meireles and Mata will almost certainly both start, and they, more than any other factor, could be the players hand Torres the key to unlock the Spaniards Safe of frustration.

Come on Chels!