GUEST COLUMN : VIEW FROM THE PRESS BOX
THAT'S JUST THE START FOR FERNANDO Guillem Balague 20 August 2007

Spanish journalist Guillem Balague reflects on a brilliant Anfield debut from Liverpool's record signing against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
Fernando Torres was the talk of football in both England and Spain after his fantastic goal for Liverpool in his first game at Anfield. He was on the front cover of all of the sports newspapers in Spain on Monday and was quite rightly receiving a lot of plaudits. English football is now broadcast on general Spanish television and they show every Liverpool game. The viewing figures are very good and Liverpool and Torres are very big news in Spain. The Spanish press know Liverpool will be a major force this season. They know that, in Torres, they have now got a new alternative up front and someone with pace who will stretch the opposition and bring the wingers into the game. It was just a shame for Fernando that Rob Styles took away some of his limelight. I wrote in my local Spanish paper that it was like watching a La Liga match, because you had 100 fouls, a penalty that wasn't, a referee who had a bad match and a Spanish striker scoring. You also had the whole of Anfield protesting against the referee and it was just like a Spanish match really. You have to say it was a great day for Torres, almost perfect, but Rafa Benitez will keep his feet on the ground and not let him get carried away. The way he took his goal was fantastic and the way Steven Gerrard saw his run was great too. I know everybody said after he scored his first goal against Shanghai Shenhua that the pressure was off him, but that was only a pre-season friendly. He has done it now in his first game at home and he will be under less pressure now. The general impression is Liverpool now finally have a genuine goalscorer in Torres. He is a player who wants to learn, wants to adapt and wants to do well for Liverpool. He had lots of friends over in Spain watching the match and it was important for him to make a big impression. What is more positive than the goal for me was the way the team understands his game. He was also getting kicked and shoved around the park by the Chelsea defenders but you didn't see much protesting from him. That is good sign. He knew Terry was going to try and provoke him and be very physical, but he paid them back in the best way possible when he scored. The goal is a weight off his shoulders and now he can concentrate on playing well for the team and helping Liverpool mount a challenge for the title. A good solid start is what Liverpool have been missing for the past few years but it's happening now. Manchester United have made an indifferent start and Chelsea aren't yet firing on all cylinders but I can see Liverpool topping the table by December. Then it will come down to the consistency and the quality of the players, and a little bit of luck which you always need. I still believe he will need more time to make a real impact at Liverpool but he's certainly made a good start and is heading in the right direction. The impact Torres can make at Liverpool, I think will be huge but patience and hard work is the key.