TORRES GUNNING FOR MORE SUCCESS IN NEW MAG

TORRES GUNNING FOR MORE SUCCESS IN NEW MAG

The latest edition of Chelsea features an interview with Fernando Torres in which the striker stresses his desire to add to what is becoming an ever-expanding medal collection.

Life, at the moment, is pretty sweet for Torres. Two goals in his opening three league games have helped propel the Blues to the top of the Premier League table with the only 100 per cent record, and after ending what was a mixed 2011/12 campaign in the most memorable fashion - both for club and country - he is desperate to repay the support he has been given by the Stamford Bridge faithful.

'When you play for Chelsea, you have the chance to win trophies and this was one of the main reasons why I came here,' he tells the club's official magazine.

'In my first full season, we got two trophies, which is the thing I was looking for when I came, but now I have more objectives, more personal targets, and this season is very important for me.

'No one thought Spain would be world champions and European champions twice - I never even dreamed that would happen.

'Next year, we go to the Confederations Cup and I haven't won that competition, so I want to. When you win, you just want to do it more and more and more.'

With Didier Drogba now departed, Torres, thus far this campaign, has been the focal point of our attack, supported ably by technically-sound playmakers Juan Mata and Eden Hazard.

With the club investing heavily over the summer, focusing largely on strengthening our options in creative and wide areas, the early signs are that we can expect a more expansive Chelsea side in the months ahead.

Strikers, however, rightly or wrongly, are defined by their goalscoring exploits, and Torres is aware that regardless of how much work he does outside the penalty area, hitting the back of the net on a regular basis is ultimately all that matters.

'Didier [Drogba] is not here anymore, so there is more responsibility for me and I'm ready for the challenge,' he says. 'Hopefully, everything is going to be okay and we will work hard.

'Now, I am looking for new personal targets, which is to get as many goals as possible and, hopefully, I will score more than I did in my best season at Liverpool.

Torres walked away from the European Championships with the Golden Boot award as Spain clinched their third successive major trophy but, in truth, it was an unusual campaign, with their manager's preference for playing without a recognised striker at various points coming in for plenty of comment.

Thankfully, there are no such worries back in west London, and Torres believes his job has been made much easier with the acquisition of players with the ability to drift between the lines and find the killer pass.

'I like players who can find the space behind the defenders, who can find a small gap to pass the ball and put me in front of the goalkeeper,' explains the 28-year-old.

'Juan Mata is very easy to play alongside because he has these qualities, where he finds the space behind the defender.

'We have scored a lot of goals thanks to these kinds of passes from him. We have him, plus Eden Hazard plays there and Oscar as well.

'For me, it's the most important position for the team. The No.10, or second striker, is the one who is going to make the difference, the one who is going to finish the game or change it by giving an assist or scoring a goal.

'All the great teams have a quality No.10 and we have two or three this season, so we have to exploit that.'

Cech them outElsewhere in the magazine, Petr Cech reveals the coaches, players and managers who have helped shape his career in 'Football Men', including the current Chelsea goalkeeping coach, a former Stamford Bridge favourite and the man who gave him his first taste of life between the posts when he was only eight-years-old.

Stuart's life in BlueGraham Stuart enjoyed a decent career at Stamford Bridge, and while he scored a number of memorable goals for the club, the midfielder will always be remembered for a wonderful solo strike up at Sheffield Wednesday. Here, he opens up about a debut strike against Crystal Palace, the reasons behind his eventual departure and the late Sir Bobby Robson's role in the earning of his nickname.

Marking territoryMark Foster, the former Olympic swimmer, who worked as a television pundit during the Olympic Games, is a massive Chelsea supporter. In this month's 'One of Us', he takes a look back at a pivotal match in last season's Champions League run, as well as recalling his confidence when Didier Drogba stepped up to take the decisive penalty in Munich.

American memoriesAs always, our pre-season tour of the US gave players, management and fans the opportunity to interact with our ever-increasing band of supporters stateside over the course of an exciting, albeit hectic, two-week period.

'Rocky and Becks' looks back at the tour through the eyes of Chelsea TV presenter Gigi Salmon and defender Ashley Cole, who recalls an enjoyable meeting with two former Premier League legends, as well as the benefits of enjoying a relatively low profile across the pond.

Slaying foxesWhile younger supporters may struggle to recall a time when the Blues weren't competing regularly for every major trophy, for the older generation, it hasn't always been that way.

The 1960s was a period in the club's history when success, on the whole, proved elusive, aside from a League Cup triumph over Leicester City in 1965.

'The Final Countdown' casts an eye back at those matches with the help of newspaper cuttings, action images and contributions from some of the key players, including opening goalscorer, Bobby Tambling.

The latest edition of Chelsea is on sale now, priced £3.25 and available from all good newsagents and the Megastore. - Chelseafc Official Website.