On Tuesday night all eyes will turn to Fernando Torres to see whether the once world-class ex Chelsea and Liverpool striker can rekindle the form of old, as he makes his first start for new club AC Milan, against Empoli.
Torres, 30, followed his 65 goals in 102 Liverpool appearances, with just 20 in 110 for the Blues, after a £50m record-breaking move. His goal record, and inability to keep his spot in the first team under successive managers, will see him go down in the history books as a relative Chelsea flop – this despite the fact Torres won the FA Cup, UEFA Cup, and Champions League, not to mention the European Championships, twice, and the World Cup.
But his move to Serie A is seemingly his last chance to show his devastating abilities were not left in Merseyside, and a huge club like Milan is a good place to begin this rebuilding effort.
The top point-scoring strikers of last season show the quality with which he will be in competition with in aiming to be top-scorer, the Capocannoniere. Carlos Tevez ended the season with 440 EuroFantasyLeague points, playing in a Scudetto winning Juventus side, while Luca Toni (430), and Rodrigo Palacio (390), headed a table that includes the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Llorente, and Antonio Di Natale.
Fernando Torres, in and out of the Chelsea set-up, managed 120 points, less than half the figure accrued by Mario Balotelli for the Rossoneri, in a season where the controversial Italian was widely seen to have disappointed in his role as main striker.
Tonight Torres has the chance to cement his place in the Milan side, in a three man attack in competition with Stephan El-Shaarawy, Giampaolo Pazzini, Giacomo Bonaventura, and Jeremy Menez. In theory the position is perfect for the Spanish striker, with the potential to be fed through-balls from El-Shaarawy and Menez, and maybe the effect of lifted pressure could see the real Torres back again in European football.
