Wednesday, May 07, 2008

How Good Is El Nino ??


By JAMES CLARK
So many storylines defined the Premier League this season, and there are still more to play out this weekend. (And don't forget the bonus coda in Moscow in a few weeks' time!) But to these eyes, the emergence of Fernando Torres as a goalscoring force for Liverpool tops the lot. Why? He's a throwback, a nod to the target-man striker who does the business with either foot. He's also product of a more-muscular Premiership, even from the one on display a few seasons ago.
Take as a case in point Thierry Henry. Before he found so much glory with Arsenal, Henry was a little-used midfielder in Italy. Credit Arsene Wenger for seeing the potential, but Torres is the 2010-type version of a club's main scoring threat. The Premiership is so tightly wound (think of how physical David Moyes' Everton side can be) that a destroyer like Torres can tip the balance. And to think, while with Atletico Madrid, they said 'The Kid' couldn't find the net when it really counted. Seems they were wrong.