Torres Hailed For Goalscoring Knack (September 03, 2007)
Liverpool new boy Fernando Torres was the toast of the city this weekend, having netted his first brace for The Reds in a 6-0 demolition of Derby, and boss Rafa Benitez isn’t pleasantly surprised by his goalscoring run.

Torres’ was the big transfer story of the summer, arriving from Atletico Madrid for around £20million after being rumored to be moving for the past two years.

He arrived at Liverpool known for being one of the best front men in world football, blessed with pace, skill and a great understanding of the game. He wasn’t however known for his goalscoring ability.

At Atletico his scoring record wasn’t shabby but not as prolific as his contemporaries, netting 82 times in 214 appearances for the club.

But so far the Spanish international has scored three in four for The Reds and looks one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premiership, something team mate and fellow countryman Xabi Alonso has noticed.

“I think Fernando is doing really well. He has settled into the Premier League very quickly and that is encouraging because it can be difficult coming into a new league. He has great pace, physical strength and hopefully he will score more goals now, he told Liverpool’s official website.

"He has shown he is not afraid of the physical contact here, with defenders trying to put him off, and that is really important.

"You can see he is not afraid. Defenders will realise that he is not scared and it is like a motivation for him. He seems to like the challenge of trying to come out on top and he is doing really well for us."

Manager Rafael Benitez has also recognised the ease in which Torres has swapped La Liga for the Premiership and is looking forward to his star man creating and scoring a lot more this season.

"We knew he had power and movement which would suit the Premier League," said Beintez. "He's scoring goals, playing well and his understanding with the others is really good.

"We already knew he was really strong and he will be even stronger in a few months as well. He's working really hard. When you talk of strikers you can have someone who gets 20 goals a season but is just waiting for chances. If you have someone who gets 15 but creates 10 or 15 for the others, it's better.