Torres restores self-belief

Liverpool 4 Blackburn 0:THIS IS no time for regret at Liverpool, at least not in a sporting sense, yet Fernando Torres was tormented by what might have been even while briefly top of the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Who knows where Liverpool would be, had his hamstrings remained intact this season? Living in blissful ignorance of Federico Macheda, that's for certain.

Liverpool maintained their upward trajectory in the Premier League against a Blackburn team with route one in mind but capable of route none, much to the chagrin of Sam Allardyce. Torres required less than five minutes to restore self-belief following the Champions League ordeal against Chelsea, courtesy of a sublime volley he dedicated to the 96 supporters who never returned from Hillsborough 20 years ago, but it was those weeks spent injured on the sidelines that dominated his thoughts afterwards.

“It has been really frustrating to miss league games this season,” said the Liverpool striker. “Just 19 league games and 11 goals is a good record, but we have to try and learn from this for next season and try and stay 100 per cent fit for all the games.”

Torres has missed 12 league games due to injury, the damaging dozen including home draws with West Ham and Hull, plus Liverpool’s only two defeats at Tottenham and Middlesbrough, and started just 11 league games alongside Steven Gerrard, rested on the bench with a strained adductor here.

It is not fanciful to suggest Rafael Benitez’ team would be the hunted and not the hunters in the title race had the Spaniard avoided so many sick-notes.

Not that United and Chelsea are without injuries of their own, but a side with fewer world-class options has felt the impact more. “We have had some games this season that ended in draws that, had Fernando been playing, it could have made a massive difference,” insisted Benitez.

The Spaniard blames his nation’s European Championship triumph for Torres’ misfortunes and international irritations are on his horizon this summer.

Torres confirmed: “I have to play in the Confederations Cup (in South Africa in June) because it is important for my country after the European Championship. We are a good team and we have to try and win trophies and this is the next one.

“I know it might not be the best preparation for pre-season but that is our job. I will try and get enough rest. It is just four or five games. We have to talk at Liverpool about the next pre-season and try and do the right things and not make the same mistakes that we did this season.”

Torres would not elaborate on what those mistakes are, though Benitez’ annoyance at the Spanish national team’s treatment of the striker is well known.

Besides, Liverpool’s focus must remain fixed ahead while in such glorious form in the Premier League and with United clinging on to the summit.

Torres was embarrassed by comparisons of his stunning opening goal to Marco van Basten’s volley in the 1988 European Championship final. “Maybe it was one of my best but I don’t think it was like Van Basten,” he said, having taken Jamie Carragher’s long ball on his chest and volleying back and over Paul Robinson into the far corner of the net. Allardyce came intent on recreating Chelsea’s performance in the Champions League but succeeded in exposing his relegation strugglers to ridicule.

Rovers’ one impressive contribution came when the former Liverpool player, Stephen Warnock, laid a wreath to the Hillsborough victims in front of the Kop before kick-off. In contrast there was excellence to Liverpool’s penetration and first three goals, Torres overpowering Chris Samba to head in the second and Daniel Agger sweeping in from distance, before the substitute David Ngog completed the rout with a simple headed fourth.

“I am angry because the players didn’t even try to implement the gameplan,” said Allardyce, whose attempt to turn the central defender Samba into Didier Drogba lacked any support and who gave 17-year-old Aaron Doran a debut after Aaron Mokoena failed to transform into Michael Essien.

“I will make sure the players stick to the gameplan against Stoke next week. I will train them, we will practise all week and they need to listen – that’s all they need to do. That’s what they are paid to do. None of those guys are ever going to be as good as I am at what I do, because they are only players and I am the manager, so make sure you listen to me.”