Fernando Torres struggling for confidence, says ex-Liverpool doctor
Dr Peter Brukner says Fernando Torres’ patchy form at Chelsea is likely to be down to a lack of confidence - not his injury troubles
Fernando Torres’ patchy form at Chelsea is likely to be down to a lack of confidence – not his injury struggles, according to former Liverpool head of sport science Dr Peter Brukner.
Brukner dealt with Torres at Anfield after the Spain striker suffered a string of knee problems in 2010 before his £50m move to Chelsea in January 2011.
The physician says that the forward, who has failed to find consistent goal-scoring form at Stamford Bridge, did not suffer any long-term physical effects from his injuries but “lost a lot of confidence”.
“I think the timing was unfortunate. It [the knee injury] happened at the end of the season just before the 2010 World Cup,” Brukner told talkSPORT.
“He was obviously desperate to play at the World Cup and probably pushed things a little too hard.
“When he joined the Spanish team He probably got a bit overenthusiastic and pushed too hard too early, had a setback, then had a very disappointing World Cup even though he’s got a winners’ medal.
“He came back to Liverpool and wasn’t happy at Liverpool. He was very frustrated and basically I think he lost a lot of confidence. Whether that was partly related to his knee, whether he didn’t have 100 per cent confidence in his knee, [I don’t know].
“The testing we did at Liverpool showed he was still the fastest player at the club when he was there.
“So I think a lot of it is confidence, confidence in his physical ability to do things and also confidence in his ability to do things mentally.”
