Exclusive interview: Fernando Torres

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres talked to Spanish journalist and expert Guillem Balague.

Torres chats about his time at Anfield and his relationship with Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

The duo look ahead to Liverpool’s clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League and the team’s title ambitions.

Balague: Fernando, its been a year of great highs, including the year you have had at Liverpool and Spain’s victory at Euro 2008 – but injuries have also meant some low points as well. How would you sum up the last twelve months?

Torres: It has been a year to remember. I think that there have been more positives than negatives. For the Spanish players here at Liverpool the win at Euro 2008 did not compensate for the fact that we did not win any trophies with Liverpool but for our country and for us as players representing our country it was something truly unforgettable that is going to stay with me forever.

It is an honor to represent a club like Liverpool in Europe and we reached the semi final of the Champions League and lost in extra time. I have been able to play every weekend and Wednesday at the highest level and have been able to score goals and get global recognition. The year has ended with my injury over the last couple of months but that has been just a blip in a great year.

Balague: Pires, Henry the first year for a player in a new country is often a challenging one, but in your case everything seems to have gone perfectly, you even came back from injury playing well. Why do you think you have been able to adapt so quickly and successfully?

Torres: I don’t know exactly. I arrived at an English club but it is a club that has a significant Spanish presence in the changing room. There are Spanish players at the club and some of the coaching staff are Spanish, some Argentinean. There are people that have played in Spain and that speak the language. That influence certainly made the transition easier for me as I was able to talk to my teammates about everything and ask them advice as well as get to know them better. They have also helped me get to grips with the language.

Pepe Reina is my neighbor and has helped me more than anyone because he lives so close. But I think that things really got started for me in the game against Chelsea. When you score in the first game you immediately start to feel comfortable and things get easier.

Balague: Do you think that you came back too quickly from your injury? Did you feel that you had put too much pressure on yourself to come back or did you sense that your teammates and the manager really needed you back in the lineup?

Torres: No. We followed the treatment schedule that was required in order for me to return to the team. When you come back from injury you know that the first week is always a risky time, as a player you have to accept that as I have done my whole career. I was unlucky when I came back and ended up having to spend another month on the sidelines, with an injury that initially did not seem that serious. When that happens you have to make sure that you take the time that is needed to recover well and get back to playing as soon as possible. In theory we did everything right the first time round but sometimes things do not turn out the way you want them to.

Balague: When you return to Spain to play with National Team the general consensus is that you have improved as a player. How do you think you have improved and why?

Torres: I think that in the career of every footballer there comes a time when you mature as a player. You start to feel a settled confidence in your ability and look to work on fine tuning the things you feel you can improve. When I say ‘mature as a player’ I am referring to things like having a greater understanding of the importance of your positioning on the field: it is about becoming a more complete footballer.

In my case I have also been lucky enough to find, not only a league that plays my kind of football, but also a team that plays the way I like. I am lucky enough to play alongside players like Gerrard, who for me is the complete player: when you have a player like that who you know is looking to play the ball to you and create space for you in your side, it gives you even more confidence in yourself.

Balague: In his own way Rafael Benitez is an intense coach. I know he makes his players repeat things again and again until they get it right and is in constant contact with you. As a player what is it like to work with Rafa?

Torres: I must admit there are days when you would like to relax a bit, but he is very a methodical coach who lives and breathes football twenty four hours a day. He is always talking about football. It seems like every conversation with him ends with football. He is methodical in his approach and notices details that as players we might not even be aware of. They are such minute things that we do not immediately draw a connection between them and the level of our play but Rafa is able to do so.

Looking back on this year it is clear to see that he is right to do things his way. He has taught me so many things that before I would not have thought were that important and we have seen the results.

Balague: This year Liverpool came up against your former team Atletico Madrid. Although you watched the game from the stands, because of injury, in the build up to the game you stayed away from the press because obviously everyone wanted to talk to you about it. How did you find the whole experience?

Torres: It was a different kind of game, it was special. I have never played against Atletico I have always been one of them. It would have been a great opportunity to play against them so soon after leaving. When I left Atletico one of the things that I wanted to happen was that one day I would face my old team in the Champions League, go to the Calderon and acknowledge those fans again and receive them here in England.

In the end all of those things happened, except that I was not able to play which was a great shame. I would have liked to have played in Madrid and at Anfield and to have experienced the game from the inside. I suppose you could say that, along with the injury, that was the other negative of the year – but maybe we will face them again later in the competition.

Balague: During the game, when Liverpool scored, did you celebrate the game with your right hand but cross your fingers with your left?

Torres: No…look…today I play for Liverpool and want us to win. Of course I wanted both team to go through to the next round and was happy when that happened. Both games between the two sides ended in draws and everybody’s happy and we are both through to the next round and if we are lucky we will face them again in the later rounds of the competition. It was a great to see the two groups of fans together singing. For me it was an honor to be associated with to such different but passionate groups of fans especially after what happened in Marseille.

Balague: And next up in the Champions League are Real Madrid. How do you see that game panning out?

Torres: Well we will have to see how we are in February in the build up to the game and what sort of form they are in coming into. On the face of things, Real Madrid are a huge team. They are always in contention in European competition and there in no reason why this year should be any different. But over the last few years in Europe we have proven to be a tough ask for any rival. No one likes to come up against us because of the way we are able to control games. When you consider the fact that the second leg is at Anfield it is a great draw for the spectators and should produce two great games. There are other interesting draws, but I think Real Madrid vs Liverpool takes top billing.

Balague: In La Liga, Barcelona are breaking all kinds of records. Watching La Liga from abroad, what do you make of their performance so far? Do you think that they are the best team in Europe at the moment?

Torres: Yes without a doubt. I think that when you look at the way they approach each game and set out to win along with the amount of chances that they are creating they are in great form. The thing about this Barcelona is that they do not settle for what they have they are always looking for more. The variety of quality players that they have in their squad is fantastic and means that the impact of injuries is limited. Whoever it is that gets injured you just won’t notice their absence. They just don’t seem to be capable of having a dip in form in fact quite the opposite they look as if they are going to keep on improving.

Balague: Every six months teams have the chance to add new players to their squad. In turn, every six months transfer rumors start to fly around. In your case you have been linked in the press with clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City. When you hear these rumors what do you make of them?

Torres: To be honest, in this country, I hardly even notice them. In my six or seven years in Madrid every summer was total madness. In comparison, England is relatively quiet. It is almost as if there is nothing at all being said. When you are linked with clubs like Chelsea you know that you are doing things right and that things are going well, but there is nothing to discuss in terms of where I am and where I want to be.

Balague: Is there one moment that you have experienced that defines what Liverpool is all about? Or any conversation you have had that sums it all up?

Torres: It comes down to a combination of many things. Over the last year every day I was aware of where I was and what I have become part of. I remember when I arrived at the airport there was a huge line at passport control but people let me through and started to applaud and I’m not sure if they had even seen me play before. As I made my way through that crowd nobody pushed me or grabbed me, which was what used to happen in Spain. People simply shook my hand, wished me good luck and thanked me for coming. That was the moment when I realized that as a Liverpool player you are part of something special where the club comes before all else.

Balague: What do you make of the Torres song?

Torres: I like it.

Balague: Is there anyone in your house that sings it?

Torres: My little cousins, friends, everyone.

Balague: In English?

Torres: Yes they are learning a bit as well.

Balague: I remember a conversation that we had with Kenny Dalglish when he said that it was a great shame that you could not watch a game from the Kop and you told him that you hoped that one day it could happen. As a player you have been compared to Dalglish. You have met him a few times now, tell us about the relationship that you have with him.

Torres: I think it is great. I do feel for him a bit though because I don’t consider myself ready for such comparisons. His is truly the number one in the history of this club. However people will always draw comparisons between past and present players and sometimes it is difficult to say if they are accurate or not. For me it is an honor to be compared with a player that is widely considered to be the best player in Livepool’s history. It has been a while but people associated with this club still value him as much as when he was a player here. We will have to wait a few year to see if I will one day be held in the same regard. I want to win a lot of things here and play here for many years scoring a lot of goals along the way. I want to bring the same level of happiness to Liverpool fans as Dalglish did in his day.

Balague: One way of summing up this season so far would be that Liverpool are top of the league and have got their without Torres for the most part. Is that how you see it? Do you think that you have a realistic chance of winning titles?

Torres: We have a real change of winning things this season. A Benitez team is never just about one player but about the group. We have a solid unit that knows how to win games playing our way. We have beaten the big teams without me and on occasion without Gerrard like the game against Manchester United. I think that was a positive for the team as a whole, it illustrated that importance of every player in the squad. Everyone is important here, we are working towards the same goal of ensuring that Liverpool win the Premier League. If we are able to achieve this it will have been a joint effort no one player will take the most credit. It is a group effort.

Balague: You know that there are some people that are already booking a weeks holiday in May?

Torres: Well it’s a bit soon for that. Having won the European Championships with Spain and experienced what that is like: to be part of a generation of players that will never be forgotten. I think that the same could be said of this Liverpool team if we can win the League. If we can do it we will be remembered for many years in the hearts of Liverpool fans.

Watch the interview (click here)

Got something to say? Submit your views below!

1. tewabe ewnetu says:

   28th September, 2009 at 2:47 pm

   please coninue with your abilty.

   Reply
2. aamena says:

   10th December, 2009 at 9:42 am

   can i have 2 liverpool tickets free

   Reply

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