Fernando's Time Is Now

Sunday is a massive day for Fernando Torres.

Despite having still only scored one goal in a Chelsea shirt since joining in January both fans and team-mates at the club have been quick to defend the Spanish star when the critics have raised their ugly heads.

This season Fernando looks poised to pay back the faithful for their support and silence the critics once and for all.

Turn Around

It’s taken just four Premiership games for Torres to win back the plaudits of the football media.

Just 2 months ago during the Premier Leagues Asian Cup that the British pundits were calling Torres the £50 million flop, describing his play as lacking pace and confidence.

Now most of the naysayers are silent as Torres haunts the nightmares of Premiership defenders once again, playing the linking role in Chelsea’s attacks and making flashing runs off the ball to create space and catch out defenders across the back four.

A Slight Mood Killer

But still the goals haven’t come.

Despite his creative play Torres has been unlucky (or lacked confidence) in front of goal. Stoke, West Brom, Norwich and Sunderland have all denied the World Cup winner his first goal of the season, and although no game can be considered easy, Torres will be disappointed to have not broken his duck against teams that could well be in the bottom half of the table at the end of the season

The pressure is mounting on Torres to provide the goals, especially when Mr Abramovich looks at what £50 million could have bought the Blues. It would have convinced Harry Redknapp to part with Luka Modric, bought David Villa with money to spare or made a last minute swoop for pint sized Uruguayan sensation Luis Suarez.

Time To Rise To The Occasion.

With all this hanging over the Spaniard’s head it would have been no surprise to hear that Fernando was struggling to get motivated for this season.

But now with a good run of performances behind him and both Juan Mata and Raul Meireles clicking straight into the Chelsea squad with no complications there is no reason why Torres can’t take United by storm.

Goals, not a goal, are needed on Sunday for Torres make his statement. We all saw him scrape his solitary goal against West Ham last season, but Fernando hasn’t scored two goals in a game since November 7^th 2010 when, in a Liverpool shirt, he put two past Chelsea.

A pair at Old Trafford would silence critics once and for all (well a few weeks till he scores again) and Torres should be raring to go in the biggest game of Chelsea’s season so far. United’s defense will be a tough nut to crack, but coming of the back of a disappointing draw away to Benfica last Wednesday moral will be at an all time low for this season right now.  More importantly, they’ve shown that a quality side can get a result against the flying Red Devils.  A world-class squad like Chelsea’s must therefore have a chance of taking United apart.

So It’s All Waiting To Be Had

It’s there to be had for both Chelsea and Torres, but it wont come easily.

United are yet to drop a point in the League and will still be reveling in the triumph of their last two league games, a 5-0 win away at Bolton and of course that 8-2 humiliation of Arsenal at Old Trafford.

A win for Chelsea will require maximum effort from the whole squad and 100% focus for the full 90 minutes.

But if Fernando can produce a performance that his early season form has been building up to Chelsea could walk away with either biggest points of the season so far and Torres will be able to rest knowing he has well and truly shaken the monkey off his back.

Will Monday morning’s papers read “Fernan-Doh!”or “Triumphant Torres rules in Trafford”. I can’t wait to see.