Steven Gerrard: Teams fear destruction by Torres

Sep 27 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

STEVEN GERRARD has likened Liverpool’s record signing Fernando Torres to Anfield goalscoring legend Ian Rush – and believes Premier League defenders are scared the Spaniard will “destroy” them.

Torres smashed a second-half hat-trick to send Reading crashing out of the Carling Cup at the Madejski Stadium on Tuesday.

The Spain striker had been left out of coach Rafael Benitez’s starting line-up for the previous two Premier League matches against Portsmouth and Birmingham but returned with a vengeance in their 4-2 success over the Royals.

Torres has now scored six goals in as many starts since his £20million arrival from Atletico Madrid in the summer and Gerrard saw glimpses of Liverpool’s all-time top goalscorer in the hard-working Spaniard’s performance.

“He reminds a bit of Ian Rush,” said the Anfield skipper. “I know Ian Rush was a great striker, and I don’t want to put much pressure on Fernando as far as goals are concerned.

“But Rushy got a lot of credit for working hard for team, tracking back and not giving defenders a minute on the ball, and he’s similar in a lot ways.

“There’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and as captain of the team I don’t want to put any more on him. But if we keep on delivering good throughballs and give him good service, he has shown so far that he’s a good finisher. I’m sure he’ll hit his own personal targets.”

Torres suffered a bruising evening up against robust Reading centre-backs Andre Bikey and Michael Duberry.

But while bemoaning the lack of protection offered by referee Martin Atkinson on the evening, Gerrard reckons Torres can expect more of the same treatment from Premier League defenders aware the Spaniard can “destroy” them.

“I was slightly disappointed in the referee,” he added. “I thought he could have been a little bit more protective of Fernando, I counted seven or eight bad challenges from behind and he should have had a penalty as well. It’s a referee’s responsibility to give a striker slightly more protection, but I suppose he’ll get a lot more treatment like that because if defenders don’t get close to him, then he’ll destroy them.

“He didn’t react to what was happening and kept coming back, and I’m sure if you ask the two Reading defenders they’ll say that’s the hardest workout they’ve had this season.

“Away from home he is going to be marked really tight. He’ll receive knocks, kicks and bruises and he’ll have to keep giving as good as he gets like he did on Tuesday night.

“Foreign strikers normally get a bit of stick about when they get kicked they go hiding. But he got murdered all night by their centre-halves and kept going back and going back, and worked so hard for the team.

“I thought he was awesome. He thoroughly deserved his goals, but the most impressive thing for me was his attitude. It’s something he has shown from the first day he arrived here, and that’s what surprised me the most. I knew he was a good striker and

“I knew he was quick, but what I didn’t realise his work-rate and attitude, and his willpower and character are tremendous.”

Torres himself believes his second goal was the pick of his memorable hat-trick.

“I am really happy and I hope that there will be plenty more goals to come,” he said. “What I achieved against Reading was special, but it was a team effort and the most important thing is that we are now in the next round of the Carling Cup.

“It was a tough match, with strong marking, but the key to our victory was finding open spaces, and also the quality of the final ball from (Sebastian) Leto, (John Arne) Riise and Gerrard.

“If I had to choose a favourite, it would be my second goal of the night, I think that it was the best of the three. For my first goal, I managed to get in front of the defender before sliding the ball across the keeper into the far corner.

“Riise picked me out in the box for my second, and the credit for the third goal should go to Gerrard, who put me clean through with only the keeper to beat.”