Source: Daily_Mail
Fernando Torres is sinking into his own private hell after open-goal miss - Martin Samuel
The greatest miss in the history of the Premier League? Probably.[LNB]Oh, there will have been similar howlers, some poor unfortunates whose nightmares contain dark memories of the day they hit rock bottom, but not the back of the net. Even so, they will not be as horrible as this. [LNB]Given the stage, the occasion, the state of the game, the cost of the man, nothing in recent years quite compares to Fernando Torres' miss against Manchester United in the 83rd minute on Sunday.[LNB] Cool as you like: Torres lifts the ball over De Gea[LNB] He read the pass, he shimmied, he left goalkeeper David De Gea in his wake, the goal opened up like the arms of a loved one; then closed with the snap of a venus fly trap. [LNB]Torres, his shape all wrong, seemed to be falling sideways as he attempted the simplest conversion into an unguarded goal. The ball spewed wide. [LNB]As one, the majority in the stadium rose, united in derision and mirth yet, stepping outside the moment, it felt spiteful to feel any emotion beyond pity. Even those on Merseyside may believe Torres has suffered enough now.[LNB] Seriously, what is to be done with him? He did not play badly. His movement, his link play, his work rate, all were good. Yet, as a goalscorer who missed two, perhaps three, outstanding chances his profligacy was the difference between the sides. [LNB]Had Torres been in the form he showed here for Liverpool in March 2009 when he single-handedly cost Nemanja Vidic the accolade of Footballer of the Year Chelsea would have won. They had enough chances to do so and a draw would not have flattered them. [LNB]Yet Torres' performance raises more questions than answers. His confidence seemed hugely affected by the ebb and flow of the game and he looks to have lost the defining ability to stay detached when faced with goal. [LNB] [LNB] [LNB] Cruel as you like: Torres has left De Gea for dead but fluffs his finish[LNB]The one chance he dispatched comfortably came when Manchester United led 3-0 and all seemed lost; when Chelsea were in contention, the pressure unnerved Torres. [LNB] Had he found that empty net, Chelsea would have had 12 minutes including injury time, to level the score.[LNB]In the first half, with Manchester United a Chris Smalling goal in front, Torres made two clear runs against the goalkeeper. On the first occasion, after a mistake by Anderson, he scuffed his shot, which bobbled wide; for the second, he chose to square the ball instead to Daniel Sturridge, only for the stretching Ramires to get in the way, allowing De Gea to recover. The Torres of old would have scored, twice. [LNB]Even if his attempted pass was an act of noble unselfishness, it was also an indication of a striker who is not fully confident in his finishing ability. [LNB]Soon after, Torres attempted a spectacular overhead kick from the edge of the penalty area.[LNB] Taking the lead: Chris Smalling gives Manchester United the lead as Torres watches on[LNB]What to make of this juxtaposition? There is little pressure when attempting the fantastic. Had Torres scored with his aerial volley, he would have been a hero. Missing the target, however, made him no villain. Nobody expected a goal from there. It was a free hit.[LNB]Through with only the goalkeeper to beat is a very different matter. On those occasions, Chelsea were relying on Torres and he failed to deliver.[LNB]Fast forward to the first minute of the second-half, by which time United were three goals clear and most considered the game dead. Put through by an exquisite ball from Nicolas Anelka, Torres was to coin a phrase from Paul Merson as cool as the other side of your pillow. [LNB] The same? Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas said Wayne Rooney's penalty miss was the same as Torres' miss[LNB]He dinked the ball over De Gea, a lovely piece of skill and exactly what Roman Abramovich thought he would be getting every week when he made Torres the most expensive purchase in the history of the English game.[LNB]In putting Chelsea back in the game, the striker seemed to put himself out of it. Not that he was reluctant to get involved, more that, with the outcome once again at stake, confidence deserted him. [LNB]He forced a good save from De Gea, but struck the far easier rebound over the bar; and then came The Miss.[LNB]Ferguson helpfully compared it to one by Diego Forlan in a pre-season friendly with Juventus and we all know what happened to him. The Uruguayan is a fine player and subsequently enjoyed many successful years in Spain, but his Manchester United career was blighted by mental frailty in front of goal and mockery from visiting fans. [LNB] Howler: United boss Sir Alex Ferguson compared Torres' miss to one of Diego Forlan's in a pre-season friendly against Juventus in 2003[LNB]Some would argue Ferguson was merely being empathetic. Those who see his every utterance as a mind game, would say he was turning the screw, ever so gently, planting the seed that Torres was to Chelsea what Forlan was to United, except more expensive. Much, much more expensive.[LNB] Nightmare: Fernando Torres has struggled to make a major impact at Chelsea since his ?50m move[LNB]English football was not for Forlan, but Torres does not have that excuse. He thrived at Liverpool, so what has gone wrong here? [LNB]'Wayne Rooney missed a penalty, which is the same really,' said Villas-Boas, but that is not true, either. Rooney has been prolific this season and his John Terry-style slip on the spot was a momentary aberration. [LNB]By contrast, it was Torres' goal that was the exception and his misses came as no surprise. [LNB]This is his own private hell: weighed down by hope and a ?50m price tag, he has become a rich man's Ronnie Rosenthal.[LNB] How did you miss that, Fernando? Agony for Torres as Man United march on Manchester United 3 Chelsea 1: Champions pull clear at summit after dismantling rivalsFergie will tell Man United hierarchy to let Mourinho succeed himAll the latest Manchester United news, features and opinionAll the latest Chelsea news, features and opinion[LNB]
