The perfect package

Spanish presence helped me settle with Reds, says Torres

Last updated: 7th January 2009  

The perfect package

Torres: loves Liverpool life

A Benitez team is never just about one player but about the group. We have a solid unit that knows how to win games playing our way.

Fernando Torres
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Fernando Torres plans to prove he is the complete player by firing Liverpool to title glory this season.

The forward says his game has improved considerably under Reds boss Rafael Benitez and after winning Euro 2008 with Spain last summer he now has the Premier League and Champions League crowns in his sights.

Torres, who scored against Preston on Sunday after six weeks out with a hamstring injury, has netted 29 times in the league since making a smooth transition from Atletico Madrid to Anfield in August 2007.

And in an exclusive interview with Revista De La Liga, the 24-year-old said he has every hope of kicking on at Liverpool because the Premier League's pace and power suits his own game.

"In the career of every footballer there come a time when you mature as a player," Torres reflected.

"You start to feel a settled confidence in your ability and look to work on fine tuning the things you feel you can improve.

"I am referring to things like having a greater understanding of the importance of your position on the field; it is about becoming a more complete footballer. In my case I have also been lucky enough to find not only league that plays my kind of football but also a team that plays the way I like.

"I am lucky enough to play alongside players like Steven Gerrard who for me is the complete player, when you have a player like that who you know is looking to play the ball to you and create space for you in your side it gives you even more confidence in yourself."

Transition

Torres, who made an instant impression with Liverpool supporters by scoring his first goal for the club against Chelsea in September 2007, said he was able to adapt quickly to the English game because he instantly felt at home at Anfield.

"I arrived at an English club but it is a club that has a significant Spanish presence in the changing room. There are Spanish players at the club and some of the coaching staff are Spanish, some Argentinean," he said.

"There are people that have played in Spain and that speak the language. That influence certainly made the transition easier for me as I was able to talk to my team-mates about everything and ask them advice as well as get to know them better. They have also helped me get to grips with the language.

"Pepe Reina is my neighbour and has helped me more than anyone because he lives so close. But I think that things really got started for me in the game against Chelsea. When you score in the first game you immediately start to feel comfortable and things get easier."

Torres attracted Liverpool's attention by scoring 91 times in 243 games for Atletico but was twice unable to line up against his former club in the Champions League due to injury.

Barca best

"When I left Atletico one of the things that I wanted to happen was that one day I would face my old team in the Champions League, go to the Calderon and acknowledge those fans again and receive them here in England," he said.

"In the end all of those things happened except that I was not able to play which was a great shame. I would have liked to have played in Madrid and at Anfield and to have experienced the game from the inside."

The two sides could meet again in the latter stages of the competition if Liverpool can see off Real Madrid and although Torres feels Barcelona remain the strongest side in Europe he still expects the Reds to challenge for European success.

"On the face of things Real Madrid are a huge team," he admitted. "They are always in contention in European competition and there is no reason why this year should be any different. But over the last few years we have proven to be a tough ask for any rival.

"The thing about this Barcelona is that they do not settle for what they have they are always looking for more. The variety of quality players that they have in their squad is fantastic and means that the impact of injuries is limited."

He added: "We have a real change of winning things this season. A Benitez team is never just about one player but about the group. We have a solid unit that knows how to win games playing our way.

"Everyone is important here; we are working towards the same goal of ensuring that Liverpool win the Premier League. If we are able to achieve this it will have been a joint effort no one player will take the most credit. It is a group effort."

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