Ivanovic - Torres not to blame

Branislav Ivanovic: Admits the entire Chelsea squad has underperformed this season

Branislav Ivanovic has leapt to the defence of Fernando Torres, claiming the whole Chelsea squad must take responsibility for their ongoing troubles.

Torres' struggles in front of goal have seen him become an easy target, with the misfiring Spaniard shouldering much of the blame for a forgettable campaign at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues hit a new low over the weekend as coach Andre Villas-Boas was fired 24 hours on from a demoralising defeat at West Brom.

Torres saw just 13 minutes of action at The Hawthorns, but he was once again unable to turn Chelsea's fortunes around.

Ivanovic understands why so much pressure is being placed on a player who demanded a £50million transfer fee, but says it is unfair to single out one man from a collection of underperformers.

"Football is a team sport and this season all of us at Chelsea have been very bad," the Serbian defender told Sportske.

"Football is a team sport and this season all of us at Chelsea have been very bad."
Branislav Ivanovic Quotes of the week

Scapegoat

"We are all guilty because we have all performed below our level. We are all to blame, not just one player.

"Torres is always in the front row for critics. He plays in attack and should be scoring goals, everybody knows that, but we have played many games without him and lost anyway.

"It is not fair to make him a scapegoat.

"I believe it is only a matter of time before he will explode again. He needs to break down the psychological barrier.

"He is under so much pressure because everybody is after him, the papers and the fans, but he has our support.

"He is not scoring goals but he is a good team player and provides a lot of assists. That is why I am sure that he will start scoring again sooner rather than later."

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