Fernando Torres feels he is edging back to the
peak of his extraordinary powers, as he revealed that he is
dreaming of scoring against Manchester United in the Champions
League final this season.
He is currently joint
top of the Premier League scoring charts with five goals, having
finished with 33 last season. He said: “I don’t know exactly what
my longest run is without a goal, but it’s definitely longer than
six games.
“At Atletico Madrid it
was sometimes difficult for me. During my first year we finished
mid-table and it was tough to score, so I went a long time without
doing so. “Here it is different because this is a really big
club. We are challenging at the top of the table and competing for
trophies, so six games is too many. I hope that was my worst run
without scoring for Liverpool. I don’t want to go that long
again.
Torres, 24, followed up
a double in the Merseyside derby win over Everton with two more
strikes in Liverpool’s fightback against Manchester City on
Sunday. But it is against Manchester United that he yearns to
open his account, having failed to find the net against Sir Alex
Ferguson’s side since coming to England.
He was a non-playing
substitute for Liverpool’s first league win over United under
manager Rafa Benitez last month as he protected a hamstring injury,
but is eyeing a winning goal against United in the Champions League
final in Rome in May. “Every player wants to score against
their biggest rivals,” he said. “It matters so much to the fans and
I think it would mean even more to them if I scored against
Manchester United.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t
get the chance so far this season. Hopefully I’ll have an
opportunity to do so when we play at Old Trafford after Christmas,
or maybe in the Cup – or the Champions League final.
