Everything is pointing in this kids direction; its more likely he'll be signed for the following year though I'd prefer if he came now! http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jun10k.html There are I believe considerable patterns linking this kid to Milan such as: -Albertini being his former teamate recommended the team to him - He has openly stated that if he had to leave Atletico he'd ony move to Italy because he is an Atletico patriot and would refuse to move to a domestic club + I believe there aren't any domestic teams that can really afford him anyways - What's also "considerable" is the very large debt that Atletico has with us which I think makes Milan the first option for Torres which inturn reinforces the fact that a previous bid by ManU was rejected. -Cesar Maldini said "Fernando Torres is phenomenal" which should not be taken too lightly given the the great credibility this man has when it comes to rating players. Personally I think he was born for Serie A.
Do you remember last year when everybody was saying that young talents don't want to come to Italy anymore? Well, in the last 2 weeks Alexander Hleb, Luis Fabiano, and Fernando Torres have all said that they prefer to play in Italy. What happended?
Torres would be a great signing, but I do not think he is for you. He is not a lone striker, a first striker, and needs a real 9 next to him, somebody that can find more benefit from the spaces that he opens than himself. Is he good? yeah, he is an artist, very technical, and belongs to a type of striker that is hard to find. I consider (at least) two types of strikers. Let me explain: The first type is the Vieri, Morientes type. True 9s, people that keep their position, are strong in the air and with their feet, but who need their teammates to work for them because they play a more static role. This is the classical striker. The second type is the Henry, Ronaldo, Anelka, and Torres type. They come from behind, and use their speed and their speed on the ball to break through. You see them running with the ball, and when it looks like the defenders are on them, they shift to a second gear, and run faster, then to a third if needed. There is no better way of breaking down an opponent, and this ability on its own makes the players that have it to be in the very small group of people that can decide a game by themselves. This is Torres right now. However, he is not a strong, physical type, as Henry or Ronaldo, and he is still far, a lot more than people think, from his prime. Ronaldo was sinking over 60 goals a year at 17, but Torres is a prodigy in speed and ball control, but not strength or accuracy. People like Torres can not succeed in Italy with tough man marking in every game. Not only this doesn't happen in Spain, the style of play in Italy leaves strikers with few chances to score in a game, even in a powerhouse like Milan. Torres, until quite a few years, will not be stable enough to guarantee goals (as he has proven in this EC), and in your league he is much more likely to get pressured upon, depressed, and into bad streaks. To me, if Torres does not move out of Atletico, his career will loose a whole lot, but if he moves to your league, it will be the end of him, as it was the end of Jose Mari, Javi Moreno, Mendieta, not to mention some of your own, Baggio, Zola and countless others, people that like to give a special treatment to the ball but are just not physical enough to survive. Torres is weak and is used to being let play by opponents. Give him a couple of kicks here and there...., they only way to see if he would make it is if he became stronger, both in mind and body, and he would need time, which players at this level don't usually get. If I was him, I would not move to Milan. Torres has already proven to be under good counseling, since Real Madrid was very close to buying him, and even Barcelona (yeah, as if Milan was the only team with money), and he stayed simply because he knew he wasn't ready even just for that little jump. I doubt he will ever move from Atletico, but if he does, it will be to England, as everybody else is doing these days. Keep hoping, but I see no hope.
Milan don't need Torres. He didn't look impressive at Euro 2004. Plus, he would just be a bench player at Milan behind Sheva, Pippo, and Tomasson.
Maybe in the future though we will need a player like him. In any case hope Pippo, JDT and Sheva will play like hell next year. I still belive Torres is a good player, don't know weather we are going to sign him or not but he looks promising.
I completely understandand I'll take your word for it. I cant prevent Ancelotti from playing Sheva as second striker when I truly feel he is a first striker because of his acrobatic technique along with other identifiable characteristics. So bringing Torres could prove futile in some sense however a different interpreter could say that Torres is prone for success if he is loaned out first (which would probably never happen) regardless, the speed at which he could adapt to Serie A is largely unpredictable. Kaka is not strong, and was pretty much unheard of before comming to Milan. Look, measuring a mans success before he is given the opportunity is pretty unconstructive. Ofcourse its always a gamble when taking players to foreign leagues however I consider Milan to be slightly above & beyong your average side because they have more resources to allow players like Torres to really shine. From training to personal coaching and not to mention the pitch strategy is comprehensively structured to permit players like Torres, Kaka, Sheva, Rui etc. to play their attacking game. Basically Milan has all the man power needed to tailor "prodigy players". We dont leave our investments to hang and dry (we're not Inter ) so lets not immediately jump the gun here. From what I've seen I can guarantee that Torres would have more then ample time to prove his talents and possibly achieve a spot in the first 11. How do I know this? Becuase the room for error when gambling on players like Torres' age group isn't as large as people make it out to be. As long as he's given the right motivation (this is key) he wil inevitably become a superstar. It all depends on repoar with the coach and players and most importantly the new atmosphere. BTW players like Moreno and Mendieta are I think simply unfortunate coincidences in that you could even draw up special cases for both as to why their Serie A adventure was not a success. Depending on how Atletico's financial situation develops he may not have a choice. Capital supremecy and spending power are seperate things. Wise choice on his part for staying. The only club form England who's been near him is ManU, but their offer was turned down, I wonder why? I'm sorry for Atletico fans because I'm pretty certian Torres will be part of Milan in either the 04/05 - 05/06 campaigne. Simply because the best way to increase the value of a clubs shares is too eliminate debt, and what better way to scratch off Atletico's debt by using Torres as a universal bargaining token? Anyways he's a very highly rated player and we'll leave it at that. Milan is pretty good without him so for now Torres will remain as a luxury.
Could be, but we all still have to see if he can really explode in La Liga. He has done well scoring, but a player with his characteristics could do much, much better. However, from being capable to doing there is a very long stretch, and I have the feeling, as mostly everybody does in Spain, that Torres needs time. Serie A, you would have to agree with me on this, is much harder to adapt to than La Liga or the Premiership. In watching Torres in this EC, I think that the fact that he needs time and that he doesn't adapt quickly to anything is pretty much confirmed. On top of this, he still has great accuracy problems. In Spain, even though we all love the guy, we all say that he needs 5 to put one in. Hey, he is only 20. No doubt, Milan (Berlusconi I should say), gives time to his investments. That is one of the keys to success. Kaka is very good, but I'm still not so happy with him, it is said that in Brazil there are plenty like him. I think more of him as the type of player that can shine one year, but drop the next, as opponents get to know him. Next season he may have a much harder task ahead of him, and as you said, he is not strong. I have very little faith on a player like him succeeding in Italy for long, as I haven't seen any of his type really doing it. Maybe I just think that Serie A is harder than it is for these players, but it looks like it from here. I haven't seen any foreign player complaining about going through AC Milan and their support. Well, it would take Berlusconi a really big amount to take Torres from Atletico, I am sure he would give him time. Well, ok. Moreno wasn't that great to begin with, but Medieta and Jose Mari, especially Mendieta, were players of a different caliber. Jose Mari was a good bet, but on another player of a type that is not really a sure one in Italy, he had not exploded in Spain, and still hasn't. Mendieta though, he was the best in Europe in his position. What happened to him after going through Italy was unbeliebable. When we watched him play in the WC he wasn't Mendieta anymore. He couldn't even make a decent cross. Serie A wasted and destroyed one of the best midfielders I have ever seen, and not because he wasn't strong, the man is a bull, but because he does not use his strenght to play, he doesn't know how and in four games he was already kissing the bench. From there, look at him now, playing in a mid-table team in England. De la Peña, who I didn't mention. He went from not even playing in years to leading in assists in Spain, in a team fighting not to drop to 2nd division until the last minute, only from January and on!. In his case it was crystal clear from the start he had no chance in Italy, but the guy is really, really good and if anybody doubted it, nobody does now. Italy is not for everyone, and with these precedents, I would be very afraid of Torres going down the drain too early. Ah, maybe, maybe not. Atletico's first and main strenght is their fans. It is said that this team has fans like no other in Europe, at least at the level of the top leagues. These are people that fill up the stadium when their team is in 2nd Div., who always, always support it, even at the craziest times, so much that they look ridiculous. Torres is their god, their hope, and Atletico knows it. If they sold him, just him, the reaction could and would be an empty stadium, and they know it. On this, Atletico is very, very special. Of course they refused ManU's offer. Believe me, more than thinking about selling him to solve their economic problems, they are thinking about what to do not to create a bigger one. If they can't buy players (as it looks this year), they won't buy players (as they are doing), but selling Torres is their last possibility. They would have to be in sure bankruptcy, or Torres out of contract (and he has a long, very long one and that it would be easy to extend right now). Yeah, we all know Berlusconi, but 50 million can be dropped by either one, so what's the point. I am not their fan, so I couldn't really care less. However, Atletico is a very special club. On top of that, you also have to consider that Torres would have to be guaranteed a spot at Milan, so he keeps on playing for the NT, and Torres would have to have exploded already, something that I don't see happening anytime soon. Plus, AC Milan, as Real Madrid or another of the few, real top elite teams, do not guarantee anybody a spot. You said it yourself, AC Milan doesn't even need him right now. With Berlusconi at it, AC Milan shouldn't even need him in a couple of years, unless he unlikely turns into a Ronaldo, we never know. Still in that case Atletico would be doing much better....
Kaka is the real deal. I don't know where Caznano is coming from when he says Kaka is not strong. I've seen him on countless times this season fight off tackles while going forward. He is a very strong player IMO and will be the FIFA world player of the year in a couple of years. And there maybe plenty more like him in Brazil but there are none better than him. If there were they would be starting for the Brazilian NT not Kaka. Kaka's play in Serie A was unexpected. No foreigner outside of Sheva, Ronaldo, Van Basten has had a bigger affect than the young Kaka. Alot of great players didn't adapt as quickly as Kaka has. Zidane(FIFA player of year) and Nedved(European player of year) were never as impressive as Kaka in their first years in Serie A. Kaka is already ahead of the curve and he is still only 22. Back to Torres, the reason Milan is always linked to Torres is because it is believed that they have an option on him. Milan have actually given Atletico many players already in which Atletico still haven't given Milan any $$$ for. Theoretically Milan could get Torres for a very small sum since Atletico are already in debt to Milan. But that's all besides the point. I would rather not buy any Spanish players. Spaniards are great in La Liga but they have never done well abroad. You can figure out why that is, there are many possible reasons. But it can't be argued that they have ever done well outside of Spain. With the only exception being Luis Suarez. So I would rather Milan go after other players.
I think your unconsciously admitting that he's strong due to the fact that he's yet to have a career-damaging injury. Kaka can fight off the opposition with his balance and great posture which is no wonder why many people have compared him to the great Platini. Ricardo is versatile and confident, but he's not "strong" persay, well at least not like the Davids/Vieri type- players that we usually involve the word "strength" with. Not to say that I'm not eternally grateful to have a player like Kaka being part of this great team, but to say that he is "the real deal" after only one year is exaggerating it slightly. The kid is absolutley wonderful but he's not Ronaldo, meaning he is not a phenomenon (not like he was ever tagged as one) who can perform consistently at 100% and give outstanding results. Thats being a little superstitious, or I should say "unreasonable" becasue a man is a man and his destiny is his own. Plus its not like you or I have anything to lose here, Milan has more then enough money to make mistakes like many times before
If you compare Kaka to Vieri/Davids than of course he's not strong in comparison. But neither are 99% of the players in the world. I compare Kaka to Zidane/Nedved/Totti/Aimar/etc. and I think he is just as strong as those simialr players. And do you consider Sheva strong? I do and he doesn't have the strength that Kaka does IMO. I don't know what it will take for him to be "the real deal" in your eyes. But he has satisfied me. I wouldn't trade him for any other player in the world at his position. And if you will ask any Brazilain they will tell you that Kaka has been the most impressive in the last couple WC qualifiers. A squad that includes Ronaldo. I can't predict the future and tell you want Kaka will do in the future but if he at least plays the way he did in the first season at Milan he will be an all-time great. There is no reason to believe he will all of a sudden become crap next season. I'm going to enjoy watching him wear the red n' black for the next 10 years hopefully. It's not superstitious. It's based on solid facts. Spanish players don't adapt well to the defensive game in Italy. In Spain they have more room to show their skills. In Italy they are not as good because the defenders limit the time they have on the ball. And besides that, I'm not a big fan of Torres.
Kaka is not that physically strong, and didn't look like much when he played Deportivo this year. Not trying to beat you up on it...but naming him FIFA World Player, with Ronaldihno around, I don't think so. There is no point to compare both and both play the same position. Kaka is not all that, young yes, capable...but Zidane and Nedved also found a Serie A that was tougher, and also more successful. Right now, I think it is also a bit obscene to compare him to those two...but who knows, maybe in time. As for Atletico's debt with Milan (which is really nothing anybody is worrying about), Torres is well beyond it. Atletico, besides never going against their fans, also has a historical debt to come back to the group of the best in Spain. They will go great lenghts to keep Torres, you'll see. They haven't been at the top in such a long time that people think that this is a club that sells, a middle of the table team that cannot keep good players around, but throughout most of their history Atletico has been at the top, and they still act as if they were. Money, that debt, does not mean much here. Spanish players failing when playing abroad? actually, we haven't had many players outside of Spain. I couldn't even get to ten that I remember right now, and most of them have been successful. In Italy there was Luis Suarez, and also Del Sol in Juventus, recently we've had Moreno and Jose Mari at Milan, but they were never even true internationals with us (maybe one or two times each), and never belonged to a big team, so I wouldn't consider them failures, but stupid signings by Milan (Madrid, Barcelona never even considered them, go figure). Mendieta and De La Peña are different cases, were good players and did fail, but they are really not the right "type" as I have been trying to stretch, specially in years when certain Italian players of the same "type" have moved abroad to be successful. Besides these, I don't know, Mendieta even won the cup in England in his little team, scoring in the final and everything. De La Peña is back, Morientes in Monaco, Reyes in Arsenal also doing quite well....it looks more like you have the problem. I don't think you'll see much of Torres anyway, so who cares.
Dont forget that Barca lost out in the UEFA Cup to many a surprise however they do have a tendency to blow big in important matches. There's still time to see if Barca was the best choice for little Ronnie because I personally think there's still room for failure. Ha! Don't worry about it? I dont know about you but to me that sounds like something a corrupt Italian club owner would say (are you sure you dont have any Italian roots?). Anyways ofcourse it doesn't mean anything to you but I'd imagine that a 20 million dollar debt certainly creates a nice noose for any Atletico board dir./shareholder who wishes to hang themselves. Seriously with the way the market is, debt is utterly unaffordable. Ya so does Fiorentina but I dont see that happening anytime soon. Historical permanence is certainly a thing that fans can cherish however the rest of the football world is less sympathetic. Did anybody lend a helping hand to Leeds when they went crashing into the ground? Did Napolis or Fiorentina receive any notable compensation when they declared their bankruptcy? The truth is that regardless of what kind of goals (unrealistic, or realistic) that Atletico set for the themselves, one thing will remain undoubted: when Torres finally realizes that his capabilities and the clubs fortune no longer compliment each other, than he will eventually seek fame & titles elsewhere.
27 million sterling! Including the removal of the debt! Thats like a 60 million euro deal value for some 20 year old. Now I'm seriously doubting this move myself.
There is not a single line on this in the Spanish press, not a word. If anything, Etoo is talking about how much he would love to play next to Torres, and how Kluivert is also on the list and maybe even close to signing. You see, what you don't realize, when I said "don't worry about the debt", is that Atletico is a club that has a great patrimony, both in investments, stadium, lands, and players. The nominal value of the players is 10 or 20 times the debt with AC Milan, and they could just sell one or two players to easily cover it up, or easily get a loan based on their assets. That amount, less than $20 million, is really nothing to really worry about, and I think that the Italian press is just overdoing it a little. We've had (and have) teams that are in debt by 300 million (as Real was), and can still account for it in resources to back it up, so maybe this explains why Atletico is not loosing sleep over this, or why the press in Spain doesn't even pay attention to this.
