Fernando Torres Will Help Atletico Madrid's La Liga Title Push

Fernando Torres completed his dream return to Atletico Madrid in January, and his first port of call will be to realise another dream—helping his boyhood club retain the La Liga title. With it all still to play for in the league, he can do just that.

Torres' arrival has sparked huge fanfare amongst the Atletico faithful, and if he can rediscover his form, he can help Los Rojiblancos' title push both on and off the field.

Torres' emotional return to the club culminated in his unveiling at the Vicente Calderon to a reported 45,000 fans (per James Whaling of the Mirror). "El Nino" tweeted about the moment and what it meant to him:

If the above picture doesn't do justice to the feeling Atletico fans hold for the striker, then this video of the proceedings will. 

For a loan signing to almost fill a stadium at his unveiling is remarkable, but, of course, Torres is no ordinary loan. Cherished by the fans, the level of support Torres will receive will surely prove a huge morale boost to his team-mates.

Unsurprisingly, Real Madrid TV's Phil Kitromilides has been sceptical of Torres' return:

However, Kitromilides may come to regret his words.

Having won the title last year, the mood around Atletico is already high. With the addition of Torres, the atmosphere will be elevated even further, and this could have a positive impact on the team's performance on the pitch.

At Barcelona, reports are surfacing of a bust-up between Lionel Messi and Luis Enrique (per Tim Hanlon of The Independent). Meanwhile, city rivals Real are having one of their own between star trio Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema (per J.I. Garcia-Ochoa of Marca). 

Atleti's positive atmosphere and team spirit, amplified by Torres, could give them the edge as the title race rumbles on.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

But it is not just indirectly that the 30-year-old can impact on the team's fortunes. The forward can have a tangible effect on the team's play also.

According to Sid Lowe of the Guardian, Torres did not fit in well with Chelsea to damaging effect. He said: "Sometimes I thought, 'I'll run into space,' and for 70 minutes I didn’t touch the ball."

However, Pete Jenson of the Daily Mail reports the talismanic star has already been drilled in the runs expected of him by the team.

With this being the case and with Diego Simeone's familiarity with Torres' style of play, he should fit in well with his new team-mates and this could breed a successful spell. Fitting in with a team is crucial for a striker—just look at Andy Carroll at Liverpool or Andriy Shevchenko at Chelsea.

Torres' clever runs into space and understanding with his team-mates saw him score 81 times for Liverpool. A number of those goals came from him breaking beyond the defence to latch on to an accurate through ball or long pass, such as his goals against Reading (0:50), Bolton (1:42) and, of course, the infamous goal against Manchester United (6:29). 

Per Sid Lowe, this is an ability Atletico have lacked since the departure of Diego Costa, and while they may not play this way all the time, they will often. This gives them a new dimension, a new option, the chance to vary their attacking play.

When the opposition is proving tough to break down, mixing up your approach can often yield results, and this is something Torres can provide.

Just how many goals he will get is anybody's guess. Much has been made of Torres' record of 20 goals in 110 league games for Chelsea. However, per WhoScored.com, 38 of those appearances were from the bench, often very short.

The striker also contributed 21 assists during his time at Chelsea, so if he can replicate this in Madrid, he can provide the in-form Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann with something to feed off.

Only time will tell if Torres can rediscover the outstanding goalscoring touch of his Liverpool days. At the time, he was rightly considered among the best in the world:

Those days may seem long past, but if there's anywhere he can reclaim his fearsome reputation, it's the Vicente Calderon.

Title rivals Real and Barca boast star power and will push Atletico all the way to May. 

But with Torres, Los Rojiblancos have a wave to ride on all season. His addition brings variety in attack, and crucially, he will fit in better than he ever did at Chelsea. 

In the long, hard slog for the title, Torres might just be the key to another red-and-white success come the end of the season.