re: Fernando Torres - What once was

I think the three biggest factors in Torres decline are:

1. Lost pace. He's a step slower than he used to be, and a step makes a huge difference. I don't know if it's aging or knee or both or neither, but he's not the burner he used to be.

2. No Gerrard. Stevie just set him up with so many chances. Even if Torres blew one, he knew he'd get more. Which brings me to...

3. Confidence. It's sort of a reiterating loops with Torress of blown chances and lost confidence. His opportunities are fewer and farther between, and it makes it that much more sobering to blow a chance. I think that's why his effort is down, too, because there's no joy in the game for him.