Torres EXCLUSIVE: So far, so good
Torres EXCLUSIVE: So far, so good
26 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com
Spain’s striking prodigy Fernando Torres has had a roller-coaster of a
season. Lauded and lambasted in equal measure, the FIFA World Cup has come
as a blessed relief for the talented striker.
The Atletico Madrid frontman has made an immediate impact in his first
finals, opening his account during a stellar performance in Spain’s opening
Group H game against Ukraine. Against Tunisia, his tireless industry up front
helped La Seleccion back into a game that was gradually slipping away from
them, and his two late goals capped a memorable comeback after Raul’s
opportunistic equaliser. Against Saudi Arabia, coach Luis Aragones gave him a
well-earned rest in the first half, but he came off the bench in the second
to rapturous applause from the legions of Spanish fans packed into the
Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern.
The FIFA World Cup™has put a smile back on the face of the 22-year-old
after a difficult domestic campaign with the Colchoneros. Spain’s top
scorer, known affectionately as El Nino (The Kid), has a youthful spring in
his step and took time out to speak exclusively to FIFAworldcup.com about his
experiences so far at Germany 2006 and his dreams of Spanish glory.
FIFAworldcup.com: How would you rate your team’s performance in the group
stage?
Fernando Torres:
We’ve achieved our aims and that’s the most important thing. We’ve picked
up maximum points, and in the first two games we played very well. Against
Saudi Arabia, it was a case of just getting through the game, but we won and
that’s what we wanted.
Are you happy with your own performance?
I’m happy because I’ve scored goals, because the team have won and because
I’ve played in all three games. That’s what I hoped for; I wanted
everything to go well, and luckily up to now things are going better than I
thought.
Have you thought about the prospect of finishing as the tournament’s top
scorer?
To finish as top scorer, your team has to go a long way in the competition.
They have to play the maximum number of games and that’s really the most
important thing because it would mean that Spain were in with a chance of
winning it. I hope that both things actually happen.
How do you feel about your first FIFA World Cup experience overall?
I’m very happy about the way things have gone, it’s a lot better than I
expected. I want to enjoy the World Cup, and let’s hope that it doesn’t
finish here.
What is your view on your opponents in the Round of 16, France?
France have got some great players, but they aren’t playing very well. Even
so, it’s a game that I would have wanted to avoid because they can win a
game in an instant.
Which system do you feel most comfortable with: 4-3-3 with David Villa and
Luis Garcia, or alongside wingers Joaquin and Jose Antonio Reyes?
I just want to play (laughs). I’m not really bothered about everything else.
We can play well with either system, and it just depends on the games and how
the results are going whether we use one or the other. That’s the coach’s
decision. The important thing is that we are all committed and focused on the
same objective.
Before the tournament, the Spain team was relatively unheralded, but you have
had a lot of praise for your displays. How has the dressing room responded to
that?
We knew what we could do and what we were capable of, but maybe we haven’t
shown it up to now. Because of that, we came here in the shadow of other
teams, but that was fine because it took the pressure off us, and we were
happy to go along with it. After the first two games, perhaps people outside
the squad now see us in a different light, but for the players everything is
just the same. The favourites are those teams which have won the tournament
in the past, and which have bigger reputations. We aren’t among the
favourites.
How do you feel when the fans give you such a tremendous reception every time
you come onto the pitch?
The truth is that after you’ve been playing for the national team for a
while, that’s what you want to happen, you want people to be keen to see you
play. When you go out onto the pitch, and you get the kind of reception that
I had against Saudi Arabia, it’s an emotional moment, because it’s the
whole country behind you, people who all support different teams. I can only
hope to pay them back by scoring more goals.
Do you think Spain can finally overcome that psychological barrier and reach
the quarter-finals?
First of all, we’ve got to get through the Round of 16, and if we carry on
playing the way we have done so far, we won’t have to worry about that
particular hurdle.
--
「我從來沒討厭過記者，只是不喜歡一部份自稱記者的寄生蟲而已。
我討厭的是那些對可能受到政治壓力的事避而不提，卻專寫那些會
傷害一般市民的隱私及名譽的記者；更過份一點，成為當權者的利
益代辯人的傢伙而已。」 --楊威利，銀河英雄傳說
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 218.162.244.150
LFP 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
