Why Fernando Torres Is Under Most Pressure for AC Milan Following Win to Chievo

After doing very well in his starting debut for AC Milan, Fernando Torres has reverted back to the one our parents warned us about from Chelsea.

The striker looked languid and disinterested against Chievo despite the hard-fought 2-0 win by Milan that gave a temporary boost to Filippo Inzaghi's men.

Quite simply, Torres was absent throughout the entire match. He constantly moved away from the ball when his teammates were in possession rather than coming out of the box to get possession as he did against Empoli a few weeks ago.

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In one particular instance, he was spotted doing a half-yawn and staring blankly into the horizon on a set-piece play.

His first touch was off, and the only time he tried taking on a defender in a one-on-one situation, he took a heavy touch right into the path of the opponent and was quickly dispossessed. 

The San Siro crowd is a demanding one and has seen some of the best strikers in history grace its patchy field. If Torres continues to put in lackluster performances, the boo-birds won't be too far away.

For now, Torres will continue getting the benefit of the doubt, as he has shown flashes right away but needs time to adapt to a new league, formation and teammates.

The biggest problem is his lack of chemistry with the likes of Jeremy Menez, who's probably Milan's player who holds on to the ball the longest in their attacking half.

Menez must be applauded for his effort and work-rate, tracking back to the midfield to receive the ball and essentially doing the work of two people.

Unfortunately, Menez tends to hold on to the ball far too long, always looking to take that last defender on with a clever dribble rather than looking up and searching for a run by Torres into the channel.

The best bet for Torres to receive a quality ball could come from Keisuke Honda, who is still being played out of position as a right-winger, where he usually tries to cut the ball onto his left foot and search for a cross into the box.

Despite Inzaghi going with three attacking midfielders against Chievo, Torres has little service into the box and didn't have many opportunities to test the goalkeeper Francesco Bardi.

Also, the Rossoneri looked much more dangerous once Stephan El Shaarawy came on for Torres in the second half. El Shaarawy tested the defense constantly by running at them and creating havoc.

Even though more is expected from Torres on an individualistic level, he needs all the help he can get from teammates to make his job easier whenever he does try to time a run.

For now, he'll continue to be the starter, but the option of putting Menez back into the false No. 9 role could become an interesting possibility yet again for Inzaghi.

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