Fernando Torres is back

[Shaggy]

Two stunning performances in a week, and he's not even 100% fit. He destroyed Vidic and Ferdinand today, absolutely annihilated them. Isn't it ****ing great to have the world's best centre-forward back in our team.

It is not an excuse to say his prolonged absences have majorly hamstrung our season - it is a fact. Apparently we are unbeaten in over a year when Gerrard & Nando have started together, and as is well known they've started just 9 games together this term.

This partnership must not be broken up.

I love watching him play and I am so proud to say he plays for LFC. And he plays for the shirt too...for the fans. I love his skill, his heart, his fight. He is on his way to becoming a proper all-time Liverpool legend and I would do anything to ensure he spends the rest of his career with us. Absolutely ****ing love the man.

[johnly]

could not have said any of that better myself

[cream]

He ****ing destroyed Vidic today, took the ****ing piss out of him.

[badpiggy]

agree with every last syllable of that. he really is a legend. what a ****in finish today and the sheer drive and physicality to outmuscle vidic - haven't seen anyone do that to him before. he chases and battles for every ball.

i don't want to start a new thread about this so i'll stick it in here by way of contrast:

compare torres attitude ronaldo - what a ****ing ****** of the highest order. he NEVER EVER chases after a ball he loses and he NEVER EVER gets up from a 50/50 first - he's on his ****in kness and pulling up his socks and looking for the ref and the game is 50 yards away from him before he gets up. so many examples of this today. i'd want to strangle him if he played for us so you can imagine what i'd like to do to him seeing who he plays for. he got ****in nothing out of the ever excellent aurelio today and got nothing out of carra - who was on a yellow - when he switched. he's a very talented footballer but his personality oozes out all over him in every game he plays.

you wouldn't find him playing with pain-killing injections and destroying one of the best centre halves in the world just through sheer will and passion.

how the **** did rafa see this in torres because he wasn't this type of player for atletico was he? amazing.

[Dhav]

The best centre back partnership in the Prem as we are told, and he single-handedly gave them a torrid runaroud. He really is the best in the business.

I hate Sky and think they invariably spout ****e, but they are right, the fulcrum of our attacking play is the partnership of Gerrard and Torres, and to have had them play together in only a third of our games has seriously hampered our title challenge.

It also makes the signing of Robbie Keane seem like ****ing insanity when realistically the only position he could play in the team would involve breaking up the Gerrard-Torres partnership

[Leyton388]

Best striker in the world! Ronaldo has **** on our Nando!

[Shaggy]

It also makes the signing of Robbie Keane seem like ****ing insanity when realistically the only position he could play in the team would involve breaking up the Gerrard-Torres partnership

Yep and it's the same with any mooted move for David Villa, or indeed any big name striker. Simple fact is we cannot guarantee ANY other forward a game, as these are our two main men. You could argue - if we bought Villa for example - that Gerrard could drop into CM against the crap teams, but I'm not sure about that. Stevie is clearly at his best just off Nando. Hopefully Babel will be happy to stick around as back-up, and Ngog, Nemeth and Pacheco keep progressing. We should concentrate our summer dealings on other areas. Stevie & Nando have this area sewn up.

[Leyton388]

With Stevie and nano clicking we don't need another world class striker imho! However i do think we need a right winger who can get out wide! Our full back positions are sorted also

[the rev leeroy brown]

we DO need another world class striker. 9 out of 29 games has shown that this year. either of these two ( stevie and nando ) get injured next year and we're back to where we are this year. there is no reason why thowing, for example, david villa into a 3 pronged attack with BOTH stevie and torres wouldn't work.

on a seperate note, torres was immense today. this man isn't even fully fit and he destoryed the best centre half in the world today (IMO) vidic. if he can stay fit and him and gerard play every game from now till the end of may we;ll have 2nd place sewn up and if manure slip up as they did a few years back when arsenal pipped them, we could still win the league!

[Dhav]

Yep and it's the same with any mooted move for David Villa, or indeed any big name striker. Simple fact is we cannot guarantee ANY other forward a game, as these are our two main men. You could argue - if we bought Villa for example - that Gerrard could drop into CM against the crap teams, but I'm not sure about that. Stevie is clearly at his best just off Nando. Hopefully Babel will be happy to stick around as back-up, and Ngog, Nemeth and Pacheco keep progressing. We should concentrate our summer dealings on other areas. Stevie & Nando have this area sewn up.

We certainly need to proceed cautiously with regards to bringing in any centre forwards. Torres plays best on his own up front with someone just in behind him rather than in an orthodox partnership. Villa definitely benefited from playing alongside Torres in the Euros but Torres was at his best when Villa was not in the side.

As for Stevie in centre mid, well I think that's a criminal waste. Gerrard in that role fancies himself too much as a ball playing maestro, dropping deep collecting the ball when that is better left to Alonso. What he should be doing is getting forward and linking up with Torres.

Any striker coming in has to be happy playing more of a back-up role or playing alternatively to Nando rather than alongside him.

[-V-]

Fair enough you don't want to break up the Gerrard-Torres partnership but we need another top striker because when one of them is injured we have problems. Can't win the league with just 2 match winners

[Leyton388]

What about owen as back up! Im not a fan but he is on a free and knows where the net is! He would be a good backup to nando and stevie!

[-V-]

Defo but don't think he is Rafa's cup of tea

[Dhav]

Fair enough you don't want to break up the Gerrard-Torres partnership but we need another top striker because when one of them is injured we have problems. Can't win the league with just 2 match winners

Like I say, bring someone in to play instead of Nando, not with him. Problem is we're so strapped for cash that we may be need to prioritise other areas. Anyone take the back-stabbing money grabbing welsh midget on a free?

EDIT: just seen liverpooltj suggestion. Like I say, may be a goer given how cash strapped we are.

[spud_gun]

One of the very best players in the world.