What is wrong with Ferran Torres after another frustrating performance against Cadiz?
What is wrong with Ferran Torres? That must have been the question on the lips of several Barcelona fans after their side’s defeat to Cadiz at the weekend.
The Blaugrana’s gains in the last three months were deflated this week following damaging defeats to Eintracht Frankfurt and the aforementioned La Liga minnows.
The consequence is that Xavi’s side will end the season without a major trophy and only have a top-four place to fight for.
It is no secret that Barcelona have struggled in their last two matches and no player mirrors their decline more than Ferran Torres, who has been very frustrating to watch in recent weeks.
Cules don't hate Ferran Torres, they don't just like the fact that he plays every minute while missing so many chances. His positioning is very good, maybe the best in the squad at the moment but to what end? We need him to start finishing properly. This is where Ansu comes in https://t.co/l9gehYvPiH
Torres struggles against Cadiz
The 22-year-old forward is one of Xavi’s most trusted lieutenants and is almost always in the Barcelona manager’s starting line-ups.
However, his recent performances have been below-par. Torres was wasteful during the 3-2 defeat to Frankfurt in the Europa League and was again not at his best against Cadiz.
For a player who was bought for upwards of £50 million, his outputs haven’t been inspiring at all. His statistics – 10 goals in 26 matches in all competitions – may not be bad, but his overall contribution could be far better.
Torres struggled against Cadiz for much of the game, with his positioning and decision-making drawing criticism. He’s a very talented footballer but he needs to improve to keep his place in the team.
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Ferran Torres running out of time to convince
Xavi has always backed Torres to go on and become a key player for Barcelona in the foreseeable future, but the 22-year-old needs to take his chances.
He’s currently being picked ahead of Adama Traore and sometimes deputizes as a centre-forward when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang isn’t playing.
Clearly, Xavi trusts him and sees him as a key part of his plans but the former Valencia man is running out of time to impress.
He couldn’t replicate his best form at Manchester City, which led to the club cutting their losses after just 18 months of bringing him to the Etihad. At Barcelona, he has no excuses and must start performing consistently or risk dropping to the bench.