Fernando Torres

[Leyton388]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcv11hWfzMI"]Robbie Fowler's greatest goals - YouTube[/ame]

[saj]

He's completely finished as a top level player. It's going on two years since he dropped the shoulder and breezed past a defender. He was never a great finisher either so he's going to struggle to adapt his game into being a poacher.

I have to laugh at that. He was the best finisher I have ever seen in my life. His shots to goal ratio was phenomenal. Unlike Robbie Fowler, he never scored a single goal from a set piece either or played in a fantastic attacking Liverpool team. Just imagine if he'd played in the Liverpool team that Fowler played. I suspect he would have got 40+ goals a season.

Whilst he was no goal poacher, the majority of his goals were scored in the 18 yard box

[BringbackBiscan]

I have to laugh at that. He was the best finisher I have ever seen in my life. His shots to goal ratio was phenomenal. Unlike Robbie Fowler, he never scored a single goal from a set piece either or played in a fantastic attacking Liverpool team. Just imagine if he'd played in the Liverpool team that Fowler played. I suspect he would have got 40+ goals a season.

Whilst he was no goal poacher, the majority of his goals were scored in the 18 yard box

He played in a Liverpool team that managed to score more in a league season then any season when God was here.

Torres doesn't even come close to Fowler or Shearer when it came to out and out finishing. God would have netted record breaking figures with a peak Gerrard behind him in Rafa's system, those two things being the key to Torres's form, who has never reproduced that form under any other manager or team.

We'd have won the league with Gerrard behind Fowler, that I'm sure of.

[saj]

Yip.

He was one of the best strikers about though for a few years. I just don't think he was a quality out and out finisher.

He wasn't the best in the world though, not even the best from Spain. David Villa held that mantle when Torres was at his peak.

That's clearly your opinion and one that many would share. He was never the best in Spain, that's obvious. There were many strikers who outscored him. But once he came to LFC, he was the best striker in the world and that is fact. The Spanish national team has never suited Torres' game hence the reason why he was an average striker at club level in Spain. The way Villa play suits the Spanish game. But I can never recall Villa being regarded as the better striker when Torres was at his peak.

[saj]

He played in a Liverpool team that managed to score more in a league season then any season when God was here.

Torres doesn't even come close to Fowler or Shearer when it came to out and out finishing. God would have netted record breaking figures with a peak Gerrard behind him in Rafa's system, those two things being the key to Torres's form, who has never reproduced that form under any other manager or team.

We'd have won the league with Gerrard behind Fowler, that I'm sure of.

Instead Fowler had McManaman playing with him who I think has/had created more assists than any other player in the English league since they started keeping records of assists (I think it was at some some point post war when they started recorded this, and this fact was true when McManaman stopped playing - I need to dig out the info/link). He has been overtaken since

[Molby]

Did he get on today?

[fah-q]

The presence of mind, calmness in the penalty box and ability to find space were all things Fowler in my opinion can't be bettered at.

Tap ins, bullet headers, long range howitzers, Robbie dispatched them with ease.

[Imy]

Suarez and Fowler, now that would have been a deadly partnership.

[JohnDoe]

He's completely finished as a top level player. It's going on two years since he dropped the shoulder and breezed past a defender. He was never a great finisher either so he's going to struggle to adapt his game into being a poacher.

Torres was an amazing finisher here, but finishing is 90% mental, and he's lost his mojo.

[saj]

Suarez and Fowler, now that would have been a deadly partnership.

Definitely, more so than Torres/Suarez. Suarez plays in a similar way to how Collymore played for us and the Collymore/Fowler partnership was pretty formidable for 2 years.

[saj]

Torres was an amazing finisher here, but finishing is 90% mental, and he's lost his mojo.

That's a bit like ejaculating. I hope I never lose my mojo

[Lee]

He's ****ed.

What a way to end your career. He's ****ed.

[Assassin]

He's ****ed.

What a way to end your career. He's ****ed.

I would be happy to be ****ed and end my career at £150 000+ pw

[Lee]

Torres was the best striker in world football when he was with us. Rafa made him the player he was. He's finished as a top striker. He will be at malaga within 2 years.

Agree with all of this.

We could - hand on heart - say that we had the best striker in the world between 07-09. He was incredible.

[Lee]

I would be happy to be ****ed and end my career at £150 000+ pw

That wasn't my point though.

I didn't say he was a peasant, I said that as a footballer he's ****ed. Done for. Cooked.

However I do think we forget just how good he was. There was a poll here on Est recently which asked us to choose between Suarez and Torres. I was shocked that most chose Suarez - he's good but I think people forgot just how good Torres was for those two years. Better than Suarez IMO, and by some distance.