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Chelsea boss Di Matteo dismisses Gullit criticism of Torres
Sep 21, 2012 9:30:00 PM
The Italian has leapt to the defence of his €63 million man after the former Blues boss suggested the striker was not offering enough to the west London side
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has claimed he is happy with the contribution of club record signing Fernando Torres, despite recent criticism from former Blues boss Ruud Gullit.Gullit gave a damning assessment of Torres' input after the midweek Champions League draw with Juventus, insisting that the Spain man must start improving if he is to be a part of the team in the long-term future.
"For me he must do more. It is not good enough," Gullit said as a panelist on Sky Sports. "He has had maybe one shot in the whole match, at times it is like Chelsea are playing with ten men. At the moment he is an enigma, he has to start performing – and quickly.”
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“We’re happy with him," insisted Di Matteo, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the club's game with Stoke. "Even when he doesn’t score he either provides or works hard for the team. There are no issues for us.
"He’s always keeping defenders busy, moving and doing the right stuff. He’s full of confidence and he’s playing well and scoring goals. He hasn’t scored in the last couple of games, but he’s scored before."
It's no secret that Torres has struggled to adapt to life at Stamford Bridge since his big-money move from Liverpool in January 2011.
However, there was real belief the striker had turned a corner in the first games of this season, with some positive link-up play alongside Eden Hazard leading to him netting twice.
"Bringing in others is not in discussion at the moment," Di Matteo added when questioned on strengthening his attacking options. "We are happy with our forward and hopefully [Daniel] Sturridge will be fit soon as well.”
Di Matteo also had to shrug off speculation that his own job might be under threat, after chairman Roman Abramovich was spotted at the club's training ground.
"He actually comes quite often, to be honest," Di Matteo explained. "He likes to be involved and he comes down whenever he can."
"I just have to focus on my job and try to prepare the players and the team to the best for the next game."
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Champions League final - LIVE!
German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.
7:09 PM BST
And the rest of that response (trust me - it gets even better!) to the question on whether Germany deserves four Champions League places:
CG: Germany took a place off Italy purely because Uefa's coefficient system - which rewards the same number of points to Europa League competitors as it does for those in the Champions League - was so ludicrously flawed.
There is no doubt that the Bundesliga is on the up and Serie A has since struggled in Europe - and this season Germany has proven its worth in the Champions League - but the league should hever have been granted a fourth place until they earned it in the Champions League ... not in a Mickey Mouse Cup that no one outside Germany and the minor nations takes seriously.
CG: Germany took a place off Italy purely because Uefa's coefficient system - which rewards the same number of points to Europa League competitors as it does for those in the Champions League - was so ludicrously flawed.
There is no doubt that the Bundesliga is on the up and Serie A has since struggled in Europe - and this season Germany has proven its worth in the Champions League - but the league should hever have been granted a fourth place until they earned it in the Champions League ... not in a Mickey Mouse Cup that no one outside Germany and the minor nations takes seriously.
7:07 PM BST
A cracking question here from Adam Scime, who has provoked an even better response out of Carlo, which I'll have to split in two!
@Scime_Live: Does Germany deserve four CL places?
CG: Germany were granted four Champions League places at the end of the 2010-11 season, which led to Italy losing one spot. This came into effect at the start of the 2012-13 campaign.
When Italy lost their place, their Champions League record was so far superior to Germany whether you looked at the last two,three,five,10,20 or 30 years. Serie A boasted two of the previous four winners of the competition, whereas the Bundesliga hadn't won a European trophy of any sort since 2001 ...
@Scime_Live: Does Germany deserve four CL places?
CG: Germany were granted four Champions League places at the end of the 2010-11 season, which led to Italy losing one spot. This came into effect at the start of the 2012-13 campaign.
When Italy lost their place, their Champions League record was so far superior to Germany whether you looked at the last two,three,five,10,20 or 30 years. Serie A boasted two of the previous four winners of the competition, whereas the Bundesliga hadn't won a European trophy of any sort since 2001 ...
7:04 PM BST
Carlo's finally been asked to put his neck on the line in our Twitter Q&A ...
@jagger_jagz: Who do you tip to win #UCL final?
CG: Bayern are clearly the favourites on paper. Individually and collectively they have the advantage, plus they have won two and drawn two out of their four meetings this season, so psychologically have the edge.
But, anything can happen in finals. The first goal will be crucial. If Bayern break the deadlock, it is hard to see them losing as they are so good at strangling the game and picking teams off. If Dortmund are to spring a surprise, I think they have to score first. If they manage that, then it will be interesting to see how Bayern react. They have developed a reputation as a team who bottle it on the big stage and fall at the final hurdle. Mentally, they seem a different proposition this year but falling behind could bring back all their bad memories and prove fatal.
@jagger_jagz: Who do you tip to win #UCL final?
CG: Bayern are clearly the favourites on paper. Individually and collectively they have the advantage, plus they have won two and drawn two out of their four meetings this season, so psychologically have the edge.
But, anything can happen in finals. The first goal will be crucial. If Bayern break the deadlock, it is hard to see them losing as they are so good at strangling the game and picking teams off. If Dortmund are to spring a surprise, I think they have to score first. If they manage that, then it will be interesting to see how Bayern react. They have developed a reputation as a team who bottle it on the big stage and fall at the final hurdle. Mentally, they seem a different proposition this year but falling behind could bring back all their bad memories and prove fatal.
7:01 PM BST
An interesting one here from a concerned Barceloan fan - or perhaps it's Cristiano Ronaldo in disguise.
@messixaviesta: Do you think the team that wins this final will provide the 2013 Ballon d'Or winner or it will once again go to Messi?
CG: As we are in an odd-number year, with no World Cup or European Championship, it is certain that the victor of the Ballon D'Or will be an individual who stars solely for their club team. As a result, a Champions League winner has as good a chance as anyone to pick up the prestigious prize.
The gong usually goes to a midfielder or attacker, so my money would be on Franck Ribery if Bayern win the Champions League as he is the kind of player voters usually go for. Having said that, as Bayern and Dortmund are such outstanding 'teams', their inividuals aren't always in the spotlight like a Messi or Ronaldo, so that could count against them.
@messixaviesta: Do you think the team that wins this final will provide the 2013 Ballon d'Or winner or it will once again go to Messi?
CG: As we are in an odd-number year, with no World Cup or European Championship, it is certain that the victor of the Ballon D'Or will be an individual who stars solely for their club team. As a result, a Champions League winner has as good a chance as anyone to pick up the prestigious prize.
The gong usually goes to a midfielder or attacker, so my money would be on Franck Ribery if Bayern win the Champions League as he is the kind of player voters usually go for. Having said that, as Bayern and Dortmund are such outstanding 'teams', their inividuals aren't always in the spotlight like a Messi or Ronaldo, so that could count against them.
6:59 PM BST
Carlo is positively flying through your questions on Twitter, so still time to get in touch.
@Austeenite 2m: Who is the best defender in this season's UCL?
CG: We are living in an era where you can count on one hand the number of top quality defenders. In truth, very few stoppers impress me anymore. Thiago Silva is the best defender in the world, and was absolutely brilliant in the quarter final against Barcelona. But if there is one defender who has emerged this term it is probably Dante from Bayern. He has been a monster, and the ease with which he nullified the attacks of Juventus and Barcelona - even if the former is nothing to sing and dance about - was a head-turner. I'm looking forward to his battle with Lewandowski tonight.
@Austeenite 2m: Who is the best defender in this season's UCL?
CG: We are living in an era where you can count on one hand the number of top quality defenders. In truth, very few stoppers impress me anymore. Thiago Silva is the best defender in the world, and was absolutely brilliant in the quarter final against Barcelona. But if there is one defender who has emerged this term it is probably Dante from Bayern. He has been a monster, and the ease with which he nullified the attacks of Juventus and Barcelona - even if the former is nothing to sing and dance about - was a head-turner. I'm looking forward to his battle with Lewandowski tonight.
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