TORRES PREPARED

Fernando Torres returns to Merseyside this afternoon expecting a rough reception from the home support.

The former Liverpool striker has a mixed record at Goodison Park, scoring twice on his first visit there back in 2008, and having enjoyed relative success against Everton in his time as a Red, believes he may well be singled out today.

‘Yes, sure – this is a situation you can’t control, and with a Liverpool past they will see you in this way, you stand out more than the others!’ he told the official Chelsea website.

‘It’s one of the proper English atmospheres. When you play away, Goodison Park, or White Hart Lane, these places have big atmospheres for big matches. Obviously when I used to play for Liverpool this game is a special day, and as an away player you have to be focused and try to ignore the atmosphere.’

His expectations for Goodison are in sharp contrast to what the 27-year-old has experienced at Stamford Bridge since becoming a Blue.

‘For me it’s very important, the support of your people makes a big difference,’ Torres said. ‘With Spain, when things are not going well even your own supporters can be against you, I had good luck with Atletico and Liverpool in that respect but it is a big surprise to me to come to Chelsea with the money the club has paid and everything that has happened where things are not going in the way we were expecting, the fans still support me, even more than if everything was good.’

Despite a lack of goals, there are still reasons to be cheerful. His cross for Juan Mata’s goal against Manchester United last week was the latest in a growing line of assists, particularly in favour of his Spanish team-mate.

‘I was aiming for him, I know he likes to move to the second post, he does that run in training and I know how good he is because he scores like that in almost every training session,’ explained the number 9.

‘I don’t think that the strikers are always the best crossers though, wingers should be because they are there more often than the strikers, but the way we play we move around a lot and it is easy for me to cross from the right side.

‘The worst thing is that it hasn’t been enough to win games but it looks like I am the one giving assists now. In the future I am sure it will be the other way around in the normal way but it wouldn’t matter how it works, if we were winning matches.’

With three league games without a victory, it is time to return to winning ways. For Torres in particular, it would be especially sweet doing so on a ground where we have not triumphed in the league since 2008.

RVP exit reports have been ‘created’ – Wenger

Arsene Wenger has laughed off speculation in the Spanish media linking Arsenal captainRobin van Persie with a La Liga switch.

Van Persie has been in superb form this season, his hat-trick in the 7-1 demolition of Blackburn taking his goal tally to 28 in all competitions. But, like Cesc Fabregas before him, van Persie – who has yet to commit to a new, long-term deal – has been heavily linked with a move to Spain.

An article in Spain’s Marca newspaper quoted the 28-year-old as claiming it would being “an honour” to be linked with Read Madrid, and he would be “excited at the prospect of playing there”.

Wenger, though, does not take the report at face value as he prepares to take his squad to Sunderland this weekend, where victory would keep them on the coattails of the Premier League top four.

“Frankly, Marca is as creative as some English newspapers. That means you cannot believe every word that is said in Marca,” Wenger said. “At Marca they are very creative. They have created another story.

“They don’t care, Marca, at all. I think they are even far more from real evidence than any English newspapers. They create just stories.”

Wenger maintained there had been no contact from Barcelona or Real Madrid over van Persie, and if they did, they would be given short shrift.

“What do you think? Barcelona knows that they have a difficult job with us, always,” he said.