Anfield Red

Where do you draw the line when it comes to Fernando Torres’ fitness?

That’s the question I’ve been asking myself ever since I wrote yesterday’s piece on Steve Gerrard’s absence from the squad for Wednesday night’s European tilt against Lyon. I read, re-read, and then read Rafa’s comments regarding the injury numerous times before coming to this conundrum: Would the club risk our top scorer’s health for Champions League glory?

Granted, Rafa sent Fernando out there on two other occasions prior to tomorrow’s match, so it’s hard to really know how much pain he’s in at the moment. But if Rafa’s comments are are indicator, it would appear he’s far from healthy.

Here are Rafa’s quotes regarding Torres’ status:

‘I was surprised with the critics after the game because Fernando has had problems in the last month after the international games.

‘We are trying to manage because he was close to having an operation. Still this morning, two days after the game, he is feeling something.

‘He is not comfortable. He has not got the power he had before, so we have to manage and try to protect him.

‘He cannot play well if you keep pushing him. Maybe if you push him he will be injured for a long time. So, I am really surprised with the critics.

‘When you talk about big names, people just analyse the names and not how the player is when he is on the pitch. He was not 100 per cent fit.

‘We have to take Fernando to Lyon because we don’t have too many options. We have to keep working with him and the rest of the players.’

Look, I’m all for winning at all costs – but not if it’s going to cost us our best player. It would seem to me that Fernando needs some time to heal (either that, or he needs to have surgery). The last thing you would ever want to do is jeopardize the future health of quite possibly the most important player on your squad.

It’s frustrating to see is playing so poorly with so many players on the physio table; but if I had to choose between a mediocre year at this point and risking our star striker’s health, I may have to sit Torres and go it alone with the players we’ve got. He’s far too important to run our there on whim.

I’m hoping my concern over his injury is overblown so I can go back to whinging about the rest of the squad. But if things are as bad as Rafa is making them out to be, then he needs to sit down with Nando and let him know that his health for the future is far more important.