Should Benitez sell Torres to save Chelsea?

DEBATE

It is still too early in Rafa Benitez's reign to judge whether Chelsea's interim boss will be able to get the best out of Fernando Torres, but the initial signs indicate the former Liverpool manager faces an uphill battle.

Torres has four Premier League goals to his name this season and although his efforts have all been laced with the qualities of an instinctive, predatory forward, over the course of 14 appearances the 28-year-old still looks short of confidence.

Since replacing Roberto Di Matteo, Benitez has guided Chelsea to two consecutive goalless draws against Manchester City and Fulham, and while the European champions now appear defensively robust, it has been at a cost to the front line, with Torres in particular looking isolated.

"Fernando Torres, I think, is the big problem at Chelsea," said Jonathan Wilson.

"The shape issues, I don't think Di Matteo was a million miles from get ting it right. He talked about balance a lot and he obviously was aware of what the issues were, it was just a question of moving towards that.

"Benitez seems to have started with the other extreme, he's started from defensiveness, rather than an attacking system."

Benitez has tried both Eden Hazard and Oscar as a support for Torres but neither could successfully link with the Spaniard and with the January transfer window looming, one option for Chelsea could be to offload Torres in a bid to bring in a striker better suited to the club's array of attacking options.

"He's not someone who you can bounce a ball off, he's not somebody who needs to work in small spaces, he's somebody who is great on the counterattack and needs the ball in front of him," Wilson added.

"I don't honestly see, with this Chelsea squad, how they can adapt their style to play like that and I really don't think, given the quality in the rest of the squad, they should adapt their style to a player like that.

"I think he was a very, very ill-advised purchase. I think probably Chelsea have to cut their losses, they have to bring in a striker who is more suited to their way of playing.

"I think from Torres' point of view, he needs a break, he needs a new start, because things have gone badly wrong. He seems to have slumped in this depression and probably a break is the only way to come out of that."

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Do you believe Chelsea's best move is to sell Fernando Torres, or will the Spaniard be able to recapture his form? Let us know by leaving a comment below, and getting involved on Facebook and Twitter.