Realistic Expectations for Fernando Torres for Rest of Season at Atletico Madrid

A left-footed, first-time finish thunders into the top corner. It's the first goal of his return. 

A neat move to evade Pepe sets up a strong shot that creeps under Keylor Navas. It's his second. 

A precise touch and delicate dance around Javier Mascherano sets the platform for an even better strike, one that finds the inside of the left post and then the back of the net. It's his third. 

All this from Fernando Torres, the striker who made scoring look as complex as quantum physics during spells at Chelsea and AC Milan. 

Coming home, as many initially thought, has revitalised Torres. But how far can he go? How many can he score? Five? 10? 15?

Undoubtedly, expectations for the club's prodigal son have soared following three goals against the most powerful rivals of all, Real Madrid and Barcelona. That he's been clinical with limited opportunities rather than wasteful has only served to drive that expectation higher. 

Perhaps most significantly, though, is that the feeling surrounding the Spaniard has changed. The story, once so demoralising, has taken a positive turn. After Stamford Bridge and the San Siro sucked the life out of him, the Vicente Calderon is breathing it back in. 

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But expectations for Torres need to be kept in check. For the reality is that, despite his impressive first month since returning to his boyhood club, he's still a secondary option—something manager Diego Simeone alluded to in a news conference after his arrival. 

"He will have to make an effort to compete with [Antoine] Griezmann, [Mario] Mandzukic and Raul Jimenez," Simeone said. 

He also added: "Fernando will give us more depth in attack."

Such a situation, one in which Torres is a secondary option, has been reinforced in Atleti's last two outings in La Liga against Rayo Vallecano and Eibar, matches in which Mario Mandzukic has tallied two goals and an assist as Simeone's first-choice striker. 

A strong physical presence, the Croatian has thrived in the Spanish capital since moving from Bayern Munich last summer and is now well suited to Los Colchoneros' methods. 

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However, what must be acknowledged is the overhaul in style Simeone and Atletico have undertaken to cater for Mandzukic. 

No longer is this team a deep-lying counter-attack threat relying on the individual dynamism of Diego Costa. Instead, the 2014-15 incarnation of Atleti has been moulded to use a high defensive line, to press opponents in their own half, to dominate the territory battle and to send a barrage of balls into the box for Mandzukic to attack. 

It's a transformation that hasn't exactly been desirable, but it's one that has been necessary. The Croatian's presence has made it so. 

But that adapted style isn't a great fit for Torres. 

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Though the former Liverpool sensation has lost some of the pace that once made him a force in the Premier League, he's still most effective when operating in space. Just take a look at all three of his goals since returning to Atletico: they've all come on the fast break with the opposing defence scrambling.

It's one of the reasons why Torres has scored against Spain's big two in Real Madrid and Barcelona—they're two of the small collection of clubs in the Primera Division capable of forcing Atletico deep and back into their old counter-attacking ways. 

Against the bulk of La Liga's sides, however, Simeone's men—particularly at home—will control their games in the fashion that's been forced through to benefit Mandzukic. The fashion that often results in a rather congested affair, an aerial battle and the gradual physical degradation of the opponent. 

For Atletico it's perfectly fine, they're happy conducting themselves that way.

For Torres it's something of an obstacle, a challenge to overcome. 

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It's why the expectations for Torres need to be managed. To be tempered, despite his strong form against Spain's all-powerful duo. Those games won't be the rule for how Atletico set up and how Torres will fit the system—they're actually more likely to represent the exception.

To successfully complete his adaption to Atletico, he'll need to prove he can thrive in more congested penalty areas, in set-piece situations and at the end of intricate passing sequences. Though he's quickly excelled in wide-open spaces, those opportunities will often be limited in Atletico's altered approach this season. 

Such a process, for Torres to adapt, will require time. There'll also be some frustrations along the way.

It means hitting the 10-goal mark (seven more) in the remainder of the campaign would be a magnificent achievement. Hoping for anything more would be to expect too much.