Villas-Boas slams media ´obsession´ with Torres

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has defended striker Fernando Torres following the club’s friendly against a Malaysian XI.

The Spaniard has scored only one goal in competitive matches since his 50-million-pound move from Liverpool in January, but his new boss is unconcerned by the forward’s form.

He described the media’s questions on Torres as an ‘obsession’ and insisted that his only worry was to bring trophies to the London club.

“I wouldn’t turn it into an obsession, like you people are trying to. The most important thing for us is to score and win,” he said after the 1-0 friendly win in Kuala Lumpur.

“I disagree [that Torres lacks confidence]. Every time a player doesn’t score, you ask questions about him.”

“Individual objectives don’t play a part – in training or a game, particularly in pre-season. I do not want there to be an obsession with this.”

“My obsession is to win trophies with this team and take this team to success.”

The former Porto manager went on to dismiss the importance of pre-season games and insisted that his teams will be picked on performance in training.

“These are pre-season games and they don’t have the importance that people think up,” he said.

“The importance of these games is to get a feel for your team and achieve the objectives you feel in training.”

“The focus is purely on the individual and not the performance of the team, which is more important. You know the importance that the collective has for me. I’m not going to lose time over this.”

“Things will happen naturally. In Chelsea, every player is competitive to be successful and the best players in training will go into the game and help the team be successful.”

Chelsea won their latest friendly through a debatable Didier Drogba free kick, with the striker admitting it may not have crossed the line.

But Villas-Boas insisted his side will improve in order to be ready for their first Premier League fixture against Stoke.

“They will perform for the team, eventually, good enough for the team to be successful. I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” he added.

“If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s a decision of the technical staff. We approach the game in a 4-3-3 – a modern system we defend.”

“The players have had to absorb so many new ideas in a short period of time, so the ideas from these games are more from us than you guys [the press].”

“We understand your perspective. The most important thing is to continue to build for Stoke.”