Champions League: Chelsea's Fernando Torres under pressure at make-or-break stage

07 November 2012 13:07
Fernando Torres knows the pressure is on Chelsea as they bid to resurrect the defence of their UEFA Champions League title.

There is a level of anxiety at Stamford Bridge ahead of the arrival of Shakhtar Donetsk due to Roberto Di Matteo's team taking just four points from three matches so far in Group E. Another loss to Shakhtar, who won 2-1 in Ukraine on Match Day Three, would leave Chelsea on the brink of elimination but Torres hopes to turn nerves into positive energy.

"These games are difficult and everyone is worried, you can feel it with the fans. But these are the games you always want to play in," he told Chelsea's official website when receiving the Golden Boot for Euro 2012 after scoring three goals at this summer's finals.

"It's nice to play football but when you have to play with pressure, to win something, to stay alive or go through, this kind of game is where you see the good players, and I am sure you will see people like (Juan) Mata, Oscar and (Eden) Hazard shining.

"That's why they are top players, and you will see it." Torres, famously a £50million January 2011 signing from Liverpool, is himself under scrutiny after failing to score for Chelsea in more than a month. But he said:

"Pressure is just a normal thing for us. I played my first game at 16. I didn't feel the pressure then, because I didn't understand the importance of football.

"When you are like that, it is much easier to play. The main thing is just playing football.

"It is when you start to realise and understand everything, you start to think too much and that can be a problem."

Source: team_talk