Fernando Torres Finds Life Harder in London Because He Has Few Spanish Friends Nearby

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Nov 10, 2011

Fernando Torres Finds Life Harder in London Because He Has Few Spanish Friends NearbyFernando Torres has had difficulty adapting to life in England's capital city because he has few Spanish teammates at Chelsea. The ex-Liverpool striker has struggled since leaving Anfield in January, according to Metro.

"Chelsea is in London, a huge city. I come from Madrid, also a great European capital, but this is much more of everything, for good and for bad," Torres said.

"It's been difficult for me to adapt here compared to when I arrived in Liverpool, a more comfortable place, smaller, where I was surrounded by Spanish teammates. In the end, the important thing is to try and organize yourself as quickly as possible. That's what I'm doing."

The Spaniard's shock £50 million ($80 million) move angered LFC supporters around the world. His time at Chelsea has been highlighted by a startling goal drought. It took nearly two and a half months for him to score his first Chelsea goal and that stood as his lone strike in 18 appearances last season.

This season has seen only a slight improvement in the 27-year-old's goal haul. He has scored four times in 12 games for the London club. Chelsea now has a Portuguese manager, Andre Villas-Boas, and signed Spanish playmaker Juan Mata.

Torres forced a move from Liverpool because he felt the club was going in the wrong direction. The exit of influential Spaniards also played a role. The Spanish manager who signed him — Rafa Benitez — was fired at the end of the previous season. The club also sold his friend and compatriot, Xabi Alonso, to Real Madrid. He says his new club has a better chance of competing for honours than the Reds.

"The only thing I know is that opportunities such as the one Chelsea offered me cannot be turned down," he said. "The important thing is the confidence they have in me.

"Liverpool was going down a strange path. Personally, I believe the departure of Xabi Alonso to Madrid was a clear message that something was changing. I have the ambition to improve and Chelsea could offer me what every footballer desires: titles."

Chelsea is currently in fourth place in the English Premier League after 11 games and appear to be a team in transition. Torres' time there could end up being a classic case of the grass being greener on the other side.

Photo via Flickr/Blog Gallery

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