Torres backed to cope with pressure of price-tag

Jul 17 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

FERNANDO TORRES makes his first outing in a Liverpool shirt this evening – with compatriot Xabi Alonso backing the striker to handle the pressure of his club record price tag.

The £18million arrival from Atletico Madrid is expected to play some part of the friendly against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen this evening in Switzerland.

Rafael Benitez earmarked Torres as his most high-profile signing of the summer as he bids to construct a squad capable of ending Liverpool’s championship drought. And Alonso believes the 23-year-old’s experience during his six years in the first team at Atletico, where he was the club captain and star player, will help him cope with the demands at Anfield.

“I think he can handle the pressure because he’s experienced similar while at Atletico Madrid,” said Alonso, who has played alongside Torres for the Spanish national team. “Mentally, he is strong enough to deal with this.

“He knows there will be a lot of focus on him, particularly in the early days, but once he’s scored his first goal that immediate pressure comes off.

“Then he will start to show how good he is. We know Liverpool is different to other clubs, but that can be to his advantage.

“There are a lot of players here who’ve already achieved good things in the last few years, and it is our job to help him settle into the club as soon as possible.

“If we do that, it will allow him to show everyone what he’s capable of.”

Alonso is confident Torres has the credentials to prove a success in the Premier League.

“I’ve known Torres, of course, since he first started playing in Spain,” he added. “He’s powerful, strong and he will bring a lot good things to the team. Hopefully he can score a lot of goals, too.

“Fernando is someone who likes to work for his team. He’ll always looks for the spaces and he’s also someone who likes it played into his feet, which is good for the midfielders because we can use different options when looking to pass to him.

“He is so quick, he will cause a lot of problems for defenders. In the Premiership, the defenders are really strong, but I hope he will be able to get the better of them.”

Torres and fellow new signings Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel should feature at the Stadion Bruehl in Grenchen this evening.

Benitez hopes documents to allow two other summer captures, Lucas Leiva and Sebastian Leto, to appear during pre-season will arrive this week.

Alonso, meanwhile, is determined to fight for his first-team place with Liverpool now blessed with a host of options in midfield.

“I know it’s going to be tough to get a place in my position, but it means everyone will be working hard in training and on the pitch to play, which is good for the club,” he said.

“The squad is a lot stronger. We’ve made good additions, each bringing different qualities. Overall, I think we’ll be better.”