Chelsea

Rafael Benitez: 'Teammates need to help Fernando Torres'

By Liam Apicella, Features Editor | 27 November 2012

Benitez: 'Teammates need to help Torres'

Rafael Benitez urges the Chelsea squad to help Fernando Torres get over the goalscoring slump that has hampered since he joined the club.

New Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez has called upon his squad to help Fernando Torres rediscover the form that once had him regarded as one of the best strikers in world football.

Torres was an initial hit in the Premier League when he was signed by Benitez for Liverpool in 2007. During his four-year stint on Merseyside, the 28-year-old found the net on 81 occasions from 142 outings.

However, since joining Chelsea for £50m in January 2011, the Spaniard has scored just 19 goals in 88 appearances.

Discussing Torres's loss of form in front of goal, Benitez believes that his teammates will have a key role to play if he is to regain his clinical touch.

"The first thing is to give him some confidence, give him instructions what he can do in a different way and improve him and the rest of the team a little bit physically," Benitez told reporter.

"It is not exactly same now as he was maximum level at this time but I think he can come back. How close, I don't know. It depends also on the rest of the team. I think he can improve but the team has to help him."

The £50m that the Blues paid for Torres is the biggest transfer fee ever shelled out by a British club.