Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez has defended his Spanish striker Fernando Torres after failing to fire once again as the Blues squeezed into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 1-1 draw with Sparta Prague.
The European champions needed Eden Hazard’s late goal to clinch their spot in the last 16 with a 2-1 aggregate triumph. Earlier, Torres had missed a number of good chances, prompting more questions about his ability.
However, Benitez defended his frontman, stating it wasn’t an easy night for him.
“He didn’t play badly tonight,” Benitez said.
“You can analyse a striker for the number of goals he scores. Maybe you’re right. But he did a great job for the team tonight. It’s not easy against a team playing deep, but he was winning the ball in the air, bringing options for those around him.
“I thought he was playing well. I disagree he was playing badly. But of course we want him to take the chances that come his way. If he continues working like today and playing like he did today, he will score goals. I’m convinced about that.
“We could be talking about Fernando not scoring goals, and he had four chances. But he had four chances. Let’s turn it into a positive. I’ve seen him in games not having these chances because he’s not in the right position.
“Today the goalkeeper stopped him and he missed some. It wasn’t the situation where the striker disappeared. Are we disappointed he didn’t score? Yes, we are. But he was still giving his all to the team.”