adminFenerbahce welcome Benfica in their first leg while European champions Chelsea face a tricky trip to Basel without the cup-tied Demba Ba, meaning fellow striker Torres will take up the fight as the Londoners chase Europe’s second prize.
Group stage elimination as holders in the Champions League has been followed by the lack of a Premier League title challenge and defeat in the FA Cup semi-finals by Manchester City. Unpopular interim coach Rafael Benitez is left with the Europa League as his only hope of quitting in May with a modicum of pride restored and Spanish compatriot Torres, still playing with a mask to protect a broken nose, feels upbeat.
“We have a young squad and we need to learn winning ways and this is a very good way. It is not the Champions League but it is the Europa League,” Torres told www.uefa.com.
“Now we’re in the semi-finals everyone can see we want to win and the team I think is happy.
The competition is helping the team a lot because it is giving us a lot of satisfaction — not like in the Premier League this season, and we lost the semi-final of the FA Cup, so we were also close. But the Europa League is keeping us in a good mood and thinking it could be a good season.” Torres, who has struggled for sustained form since joining Chelsea in 2011, was highly impressive in the last round when he scored three goals in the two legs against Rubin Kazan.
His improved confidence has even led pundits to say he should stick with the mask until the end of the season. — Soccernet.
Online Reporter