The Barclays Premier League Thread 2014/2015

[Jimmy]

I know this will sound stupid, but as someone that wasn't that into football when Torres was in his prime, it's kind of staggering to watch. Most of those goals are incredible.

[METALMAN]

I watched a few minutes of that, and the thing that sticks out about most of those goals is how composed he is. He's like a startled fawn at Chelsea.

[Gorka]

It all went downhill after 2010. A strike force between him and Suarez would have been terrifying.

[Jimmy]

Yeah, also the amount of times he just cuts inside and scores. You can also tell a lot of his goals had to do with a bit of pace, but the difference is just shocking. Very few of those goals were taps ins, and a fair few were all of his making.

[Arjen Robben]

I wonder how it would work out now, like, I think while a lot of it is probably down to injury that has forced a decline in his level of play, I wonder how much of it is also that he just doesn't really fit in to Chelsea's style of play. I wonder how he'd be if you just slot him in to the current Liverpool team where Suarez played, and with the way they played last season.

I think I just don't want to believe that he's just largely gone as a player, and that there's something more at the root of it than just him declining massively.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Arjen Robben

[DavidMarrio]

Torres...

Confidence and pace are the big factors between Torres at Liverpool and Torres at Chelsea. The injuries took a lot out of him. But the style of play between us and Chelsea is a big thing as well, he went from being THE focus of the team to being another member of the team

With us our game was pretty much Torres hovering around the last man, Gerrard or Alonso pinging a ball around the defence or through it and Torres goes and scores. The team was built around Torres essentially with Gerrard and Alonso supplying him the balls. Then he picked up a few injuries, the club went from the owners being shit but we were doing really well and blew the league despite smashing United at Old Trafford, Madrid at Anfield etc etc to the problems off the field having an impact on what was happening on the pitch, Rafa having a meltdown, Alonso being told "We wanna replace you with Gareth Barry" and Hodgson being appointed. So writing was on the wall for him, if we hadn't turned shit and players like Alonso and Mascherano leaving I don't think he would have went Chelsea. He would have left but instead of going in January I think he would have went in the summer.

He's been better at being involved in the build up of attacks at Chelsea but I think that's more of having to adapt and change his style of play slightly, I do think he's the shell of his former self but end of the day he's won pretty much everything he can.

Also, favourite Torres moment would be that goal against Blackburn such a great finish from a classic Carragher hoof ball

Edited July 28, 2014 by DavidMarrio

[Lineker]

Maybe he just doesn't like the colour blue.

[Hobo]

Torres was wonderful in his day. He may have been starting to wain at Liverpool towards the end - probably due to no longer giving a fuck more than anything else.

[Colly]

Maybe he just doesn't like the colour blue.

Clearly it was when he had his hair cut. I wouldn't touch Lukaku until he grows his back.

[brenchill]

He was crap at Chelsea before the hair cut.

[EddieG]

He was crap at Chelsea before the hair cut.

The haircut he got during World Cup 2010 while still a Liverpool player?

[stokeriño]

He was crap at Chelsea before the hair cut.

The haircut he got during World Cup 2010 while still a Liverpool player?

We've tried all the haircuts. None of them work!

I'll tell you who was a good player though...that Zorres guy. Whatever happened to him?

[brenchill]

He was crap at Chelsea before the hair cut.

The haircut he got during World Cup 2010 while still a Liverpool player?

I was referring to the shaven head.

[Baddar]

Luke Shaw has been "ordered" by LVG to train alone, because he isn't fit enough to perform to the level required.

[brenchill]

Pretty humilating. What a strange story to break to the media.

[stokeriño]

Pretty humilating. What a strange story to break to the media.

Sounds like standard LVG fare, from what I gather.

[EddieG]

Players training seperately to regain fitness? Happens all the time. :/

[Baddar]

Yeah, when I listened to LVG in the conference, it didn't really seem like anything out of the ordinary, despite Sky making it sound like it was. He actually said that he's on an individual training regime that the player agrees with. Quite a far cry from the opening line of "Shaw has been FORCED to train alone because he's a fatty."

[Sam]

He has looked fat in pictures.

[brenchill]

Singling out your big summer signing (LOL) to train alone in the papers is still a weird thing to do.

He was still English when he came back from his break though, which is the main thing.