Why Fernando Torres Is Under Most Pressure for AC Milan Following Draw to Inter
Once again, Fernando Torres failed to deliver the goods on an important stage for Milan this season.
Following Milan's 1-1 draw to Inter, the Spanish striker who joined from Chelsea on a two-year loan has plenty of questions to answer.
Sure, you could say that he put in hard work on the defensive end, but he wasn't brought in for his ability to run when the other team is in possession.ย
Torres now has only one goal in 10 Serie A matches for Milan this season. His lone goal came on a header against Empoli in a 2-2 draw. Since then, he has barely been able to find room to even unleash a decent attempt on target.
It also doesn't help that his teammates aren't so creative, especially in the midfield. With Riccardo Montolivo still waiting to make his season debut after a serious leg injury picked up before the World Cup, the front men have suffered from the lack of service when they make the runs into space.
While Nigel de Jong is a key piece of Filippo Inzaghi's starting XI, it can't be said that he excels at long-range passing. Against Inter, Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari had a hard time stringing together passes and connecting the midfield with the attack.
Of course, Torres suffers. In an exclusive interview Fernando Torres gave beIN Sports USA with Tancredi Palmeri, he said most of his glory years came with teams where he was able to create formidable partnerships with a creative midfielder. He highlighted Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso with Liverpool, who were big parts of his success during his first few years in the Premier League.
At Milan, there hasn't been that one key figure that's been able to open up Torres. That being said, the player himself hasn't looked sharp or quick. He often tries taking on defenders and beating them with pace, except he simply cannot get around them fast enough and then gets dispossessed.ย
It's interesting to wonder about how much his โฌ4 million salary has to do with playing time. Silvio Berlusconi has to be reluctant to pay that type of money to someone who isn't in the starting XI, and he might be pressuring Filippo Inzaghi to keep including him in the lineup until he finally finds his form.
Of course, whether or not he ever does find the form that made him one of the most feared strikers in world football is up for serious debate. With Liverpool, he'd often get himself into a great scoring position by simply running through the defense. That combination of strength and speed made him so hard to stop. Now, the pace is gone.
How much longer Torres keeps getting a chance to play is up in the air.
Filippo Inzaghi has shown the willingness to use Jeremy Menez as the false-nine, essentially wiping out any pure striker in the lineup. Keep in mind that Giampaolo Pazzini is also waiting in the wings, and it was only two seasons ago that he scored 15 goals with the Rossoneri without even being a regular starter.
If Torres doesn't start scoring quick, Filippo Inzaghi might have to pull the plug on the experiment and search elsewhere for production.
