Chelsea and AVB to Blame for Torres' Poor Form, Says Antonio Sanz

According to a report on ESPN Soccernet, Antonio Sanz, misfiring Chelsea striker Fernando Torres' former agent and mentor, has accused the club of being behind the Spanish international's poor run of form.

Torres transferred to Stamford Bridge from rivals Liverpool in January, 2011, for a reported £50m. Since then, Torres has scored just five times in 48 appearances for the Blues. In contrast, he found the net 81 times in 142 appearances for Liverpool.

His continued poor form finally led to him being dropped for the national team, when they played Venezuela on Wednesday. As big a blow as that may have been, the fact that his replacement - Valencia's Roberto Soldado - scored a hat-trick in 5-0 rout of the South American nation, could not have made things easier.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque admitted he was reluctant to leave Torres out of the squad but also admitted he had no choice.

"He is a lad we appreciate a good deal and it pains me to leave him out, but I wanted to be fair. His performances recently have been a bit irregular," he told the Independent.

Meanwhile, Sanz, who is also ghost writing Torres' autobiography, criticised Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, claiming he did not know how best to play Torres.

"It's true that Fernando Torres' stats aren't that great and that's the reason he's not with Spain for the Venezuela game. But I don't think Torres has a problem, it's just that Chelsea aren't helping him find his form. According to Chelsea's players, there is a bad atmosphere in the dressing room," Sanz is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail.

Sanz also took a potshot at Villas-Boas, claiming the Blues boss is scared because he is close to being fired. It is also worth noting that Sanz's remarks come in the wake of AVB's comparing Torres to Mateja Kezman and Andrei Shevchenko, two other high-profile Chelsea strikers who flopped at the club.