Albertini backs Torres after one goal in 10 games for Milan
Former AC Milan and Italy midfielder Demetrio Albertini is confident misfiring striker Fernando Torres can rediscover his goalscoring touch in the near future.
Torres joined Milan this summer on a two-year loan deal from Chelsea but has failed to replicate the form he displayed during his time with both Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.
The Spain international has scored just one goal in 10 league appearances for the Rossoneri and has not started in Milan’s last three Serie A games.
"@FutGoal_: Devolver una pared a 40 metros, made in Fernando Torres. https://t.co/qvek1LikIP" #fail
— Don Dalo! Yo Fui del Apruebo (@SoyDalo) October 29, 2014
“If you want to see the real Nino (Torres), then you have to wait,” Albertini told Turin-based sports newspaper Tuttosport. “The current Torres is not the one we all knew.
“He is coming off two seasons in which he played very little, so it’s not easy to find oneself after that.
“Fernando must be aware of what he has gone through, he must rediscover self-confidence and belief in himself not just through words, but through action.
“Moreover, we cannot forget that football in Spain and England offers more spaces than in Italy, hence, a striker has at least four or five chances per game.
“For him Serie A is completely new.”
Albertini, who was a team-mate of Torres at Atletico in the 2002-03 season, believes the 30-year-old striker still has to find his feet in Milan but firmly believes the Spaniard can follow the footsteps of his compatriot Fernando Llorente and succeed in Italy’s top flight.
Llorente moved to Juventus in the summer of 2013 from Athletic Bilbao and struggled early on before becoming a regular for the Turin giants.
“Llorente is a great example,” Albertini said. “After two or three months Llorente adapted to the Italian training and match tempo, but he was in a side that had won the Scudetto and he and Carlos Tevez were the only additions to the team.
“I think the challenges for Torres are, other than settling in, finding his place in a team that has profoundly changed with respect to last season due to the new coach (Filippo Inzaghi).
“When you build a mosaic with five or six changes out of 11 pieces, it is logical to have fewer guarantees and the newcomers will feel even more out of place.
“When a foreign player joins a consolidated team, it is easier to adapt.
“When you put together a puzzle, you start with the outline and fill in the gaps, but if every summer you break up the outline...
“Torres could well be left on the bench as he needs time to adapt.
“It’s down to Inzaghi and the player to understand the best course of action.”
