Fernando Torres spoke to Spanish radio station ‘National Radio’ before departing for Johannesburg where Spain will meet Honduras in the second round of matches of the group stages of the World Cup. The forward is up to speed and feels that, if called upon by coach Vicente del Bosque, he’s ready to help his side to victory. “I have been training with the group for two weeks and I’m ready if the coach sees fit. It has been a long time since I’ve played a full 90 minutes, but I feel that I’m ready to play a whole game. There’s only one way to find out, and hopefully the chance will be come soon.”

“You always try to work well in training to earn a place in the manager’s starting XI. The most important thing is to be prepared for when the call-up arrives. All 23 of us want to play but there is only room for eleven. The key is to remain together and to ready when called upon. But if the chance to play doesn’t arrive, then you must support your teammates from the bench. It’s the three points that are key and not who plays. Winning will help ease any anxiety, and it would also mean that we depend on ourselves in the final group game”, added Fernando Torres.

Despite losing to the Swiss, the Spain players are confident that they can change this situation around. “Normally when your side loses, the mood in the camp is negative or down, with most of the players sitting in silence. The other day when we lost to Switzerland, it was the complete opposite. Everyone was animated, and you could hear plenty of words of encouragement. Most of the press have voiced their support, agreeing that there is still hope and that the fans still believe in the side. But In France, the complete opposite has occurred. We realise we have an important opportunity ahead and we are not going to lose faith after one bad game.”

The Kid marked his comeback from injury with a goal against Poland in Spain’s final World Cup preparation game. And now, like all good strikers, Fernando hopes to open his World Cup goalscoring account. “When you have been out for a long time, what you most want to do is to score goals. When a striker scores, he feels fulfilled. It’s part of his job and it’s our way of helping the side. We hope to score plenty of goals, but regardless of who scores, we will celebrate together, as a team.”

Fernando Torres also had words for his Liverpool teammates, and an England side which after two draws, needs to win their final group game to qualify for the next round.“We talk almost every day with them and they are just as surprised everyone else. England are struggling to win, to play well, and they are even finding it hard to create chances. It’s hard to believe, especially if you look at their lineup, and the players in the side, but the facts are there. But great teams with great managers eventually turn things around. I have no doubt.”

Photo: J.A. Sirvent