FERNANDO TORRES believes he will always have the final answer to the rough treatment handed out by Premier League defenders.

The Liverpool striker has been forced to deal with the increasingly close attentions of opponents since arriving at Anfield two years ago.

Torres has shown signs this season of losing his patience with his markers, and was told by Rafael Benitez in the wake of the opening-day defeat at Tottenham Hotspur to simply concentrate on goal-scoring.

During the formative stages of his Anfield career, the 25-year-old Spain internat-ional responded to some particularly brutal punishment in a Carling Cup tie at Reading in October 2007 by scoring a memorable first Liverpool hat-trick in a 4-2 win.

And Torres admitted: “Scoring goals is always the best answer. I have to stay focused on football. I have spoken to Rafa all the time and he said stop talking to referees, they are just doing their job. I was watching clips of my performances from the first and second seasons with Rafa and I am just trying to keep on improving and do the things I was doing. I have to learn from games likes Reading in the Carling Cup.

“If you get frustrated then you cannot win the game. I know for the good of the team I have to be aware and beat the defenders. That is my job. Sometimes it is difficult playing in games because the defenders are very strong. Every team, not just the top ones. I try and know about the opposition defenders.

“Rafa is talking to me about individual players before each game and looking for their weaknesses. We are looking at that. But when a team is defending all the time, maybe it is easier for the midfielders because they have more space because normally I have one or two players with me.

“With Stevie, for example when he plays with me, can score a lot of goals. If a defender winds you up you will play better? I have to learn to play like this. I have to improve every season. It doesn’t matter if I had a good first season I want to make a better season than the first one.”

Torres was sporting a black eye as he spoke at yesterday’s Anfield launch of his new book, El Nino: My Story.

And the forward acknowledges such knocks are par for the course given an outstanding goalscoring record for both club and country has made him a marked man.