A few eyebrows were raised when Barcelona’s line-up to face Atletico de Madrid in the Copa del Rey was released on Wednesday.
In one of the most important games of the season, one that could grant Barca a ticket to their first major final of the season, Hansi Flick gave Ferran Torres the nod to start up front. That meant the team’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, was on the bench.
It was a bold move but, not for the first time this season, Flick’s gamble paid off. In the 27th minute, Torres saw Lamine Yamal in possession of the ball and timed a perfect run behind Atletico’s center-backs Jose Gimenez and Robin Le Normand. Yamal’s outrageous pass set the 25-year-old striker clear on his own against goalkeeper Juan Musso.
In previous seasons, Torres may have overthought which way he should finish the chance and wasted it. On Wednesday, he was clinical: a subtle flick of the ball sent it past Musso and into the net.
It was enough to secure victory on the night, and a 5-4 aggregate win over the two legs, and underlined why there is no back-up striker in the world in his form.
Torres was quick to pay tribute to Yamal afterwards. “Christ, Lamine,” he said to Spanish television Movistar. “He makes some passes that you just need to tap the ball in!”
Yet his own contribution should not be downplayed. According to Opta, of all the footballers who have scored 10 or more goals in the big five European leagues, Torres is the one who needs fewest minutes to score. He has 16 goals in 1,292 minutes across all competitions – a ratio of one every 81 minutes.
Flick had decided Torres was going to start at the Metropolitano stadium several days ago. Besides the outstanding form the striker has been in recent weeks, he’s had a special connection with the Copa del Rey this season.
He now has five goals in four appearances in the competition – tied with Atletico’s Julian Alvarez and Real Madrid’s Endrick as its top scorer. It was a hat-trick from Torres against Valencia that propelled Barca to the semi finals in February.
Over the last week, Flick spoke with Lewandowski to tell him he was considering giving Torres a start in this game. With the Champions League quarter-finals next week (Barca face Borussia Dortmund) and a heated title race in La Liga, this seemed a natural moment for the 36-year-old to get a breather, while also rewarding Torres’ fine form. Lewandowski, for his part, had no problem with the manager’s choice.
“I am so happy to see them both scoring goals,” said Flick after the game. “Ferran deserved to play tonight because he helped us a lot in this competition. We will probably see another No. 9 playing on the weekend, but at the minute any player that we use on the pitch responds at a great level.”
After what happened at the Metropolitano, all we can expect is Torres to be the starter in Seville’s La Cartuja stadium on April 26, when the Catalans face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.
After over three years at the club, Torres might not be the type of player Barca fans expected when they paid Manchester City €55m for his services. He has not been a creative attacking force, the player to lead Spain’s next great generation nor a striker to define an era at the club.
This has taken a toll on Torres himself, who has had to accept and learn his role. Yet his ruthlessness is appreciated by his teammates, who have given him the nickname El Tiburon (‘the shark’).
“In my mind, I’m really calm,“ said Torres two weeks ago while on international duty with Spain. “This is what I call the ‘shark mentality’. There will always be complicated moments, but you need to keep working and being disciplined. Then, any reward will come.
“Recently I’ve felt more comfortable playing as a No. 9. It is where I think I’m playing my best football, but the fact I can also operate from the wing is good.”
Barcelona want to add a new striker in next summer’s transfer window. Ideally, the club’s decision makers would like a new addition who could operate from the left hand-side, but also provide cover and serve as a long-term replacement for Lewandowski, who will enter the last year of his contract next season.
Names such as Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz are high up on the list of sporting director Deco, but none of them is expected to be available at an affordable price this summer.
Can Barcelona really find a better fit than Torres for a figure lower than that which they paid for him in 2022?
Can the market offer a player who accepts a non-starting position in the squad, embraces his role and becomes a highly-respected member of the dressing room, key to retaining squad harmony?
The answer is probably not. But that will be a tough call to make. For now, let Barcelona enjoy the best version their “shark” has ever had at the club.
(Top photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images)
