On Wednesday against Paris Saint-Germain, Jose Mourinho started winger Andre Schurrle up front on his own and the Blues were drawing 1-1 with just over a third of the game to go. Then he brought on Fernando Torres for Schurrle, and the wheels came off in Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat.
After the game Mourinho said he wasn’t happy with his striking options, with many taking that as a sign the Blues will sign a new set of strikers this summer.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mourinho has backtracked on those comments. When asked about Torres’ future at Chelsea, the Portuguese manager was adamant his Spanish striker is still in his plans at Stamford Bridge.
Earlier on this campaign I asked Mourinho about Torres’ importance to the team ethic, and he waxed lyrical about his hard work and perseverance up front, even if he doesn’t score as many goals as in previous seasons for Atletico Madrid and Liverpool. But that is a running theme for Mourinho’s strikers, as Torres has scored four times in the Premier League this season, Samuel Eto’o has scored eight and Demba Ba has scored three times. Just 13 of Chelsea’s 62 league goals have come from their forwards, with the Blues relying heavily on Eden Hazard, Oscar and other attacking midfielders.
Torres is adored by many of Chelsea’s fans for his work-rate and ability to lead the line with power and pace. However even the most ardent Chelsea fan would admit the 30-year-old’s scoring record since he joined for $75 million back in 2011 has been abysmal, with 44 goals in 164 matches for the Blues.
With many predicting Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani and other top strikers will turn up at Chelsea this summer, it seems that for the foreseeable future Mourinho has put his trust in Torres.