Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Fernando Torres Must Play Well at Old Trafford

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres is one of the most talented goalscorers in world football, but in 23 appearances at Chelsea he has scored just one time.

This weekend’s clash with league-leaders Manchester United is the perfect showcase for Torres to ignite his Chelsea career and find his top form.

When the club purchased the 27-year-old Spaniard from Liverpool for $50 million in the January transfer window earlier this year, they thought they were getting a top player who would dominate opposing defenses.

But Torres has been anything, but dominant with the Blues, and has even been benched by new manager Andre Villas-Boas a few times this season. The Chelsea manager has lots of goalscorers at his disposal in the starting XI and on the bench, so he does not need to wait for Torres to find his form.

With Liverpool, Torres scored 81 goals in 102 career games in all competitions with the Reds, but since 2010, injuries have taken their toll on Torres.

For most of his career, Torres has battled injury problems, but at Chelsea he has been healthy and is still not producing, which makes his disappointing tenure at Stamford Bridge even more frustrating.

Chelsea has taken 10 of a possible 12 points through their first four games of the Premier League season, and have only scored seven goals in those matches.

Torres needs to contribute for Chelsea to succeed in any competition this year, and a strong game against the defending league champs is the perfect time for him to erupt.

A loss against United would not ruin Chelsea’s season. With Arsenal and Liverpool struggling at times this season, there is little worry that the club won’t finish in the top four this year and lose Champions League qualification.

However, a win on Sunday and a strong Torres showing would do so much for the confidence of Torres and his teammates. Seeing their striker firing on all cylinders would be a great, and having it come against one of England’s top clubs would make it even more special.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter for the latest sports news.  Follow @NicholasGoss35