Blame it on Chelsea for Fernando Torres’ poor form: Pepe Reina

Zeenews Sports Bureau

London: When the former Liverpool star striker Fernando Torres was bought by Chelsea in January 2011 for a record sum, much has been anticipated. Unfortunately, the Spain international’s goal tally suggests a different story (12 goals in 64 appearances) as he failed to live up to the huge expectations from the fans and, most importantly, by his employers. However, with four goals in his last three appearances for Chelsea, the striker has just started showing signs of regained form. Jose Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper and his close buddy, suggested Chelsea former boss André Villas-Boas and the way the club treated him was responsible for the striker’s poor form, saying with Villas-Boas at the helm Torres was never confident. "I don`t think Chelsea as a club delivered for him," Reina was quoted as saying by the Guardian. "When you move there is always a question mark. We knew how good he was here but he needed to change city, team-mates and the mentality of the team. That is a hell of a change. He had to get used to that but also keep delivering and the expectations when a team has spent £50m on a player are also very high. The pressure was there but I don`t think it was only down to Fernando,” he added. "We built a team for Fernando here at Liverpool. Along with Stevie [Gerrard], Fernando was our star player. We had no problems admitting that. He deserved that and he earned that credit. I`m not sure it`s like that at Chelsea,” he said. "Fernando has always performed at his best when he has been at the heart of the team. I`m not saying Chelsea have to do that because Fernando can perform for any club in the world, but it is easier when you have that situation." The former teammates will come face to face when Liverpool and Chelsea lock horns in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.