AVB - Torres investigation over
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said following Tuesday night's 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen that there is no longer an issue over critical comments made by Fernando Torres.
Torres spoke to the official website of Spain's Primera Liga last week, with an English translation later appearing on the striker's personal website, where he was quoted as branding Chelsea's "older" players as "very slow", and hailing new team-mate Juan Mata - whom he set-up for Chelsea's second goal in stoppage time - as a necessary signing.
In the build-up to Tuesday's UEFA Champions League opener, which was sparked to life by a fine second-half goal from Brazil defender David Luiz, Villas-Boas revealed he would warn Torres not to speak so candidly about the club in future if the translation did stand up.
Chelsea now consider the matter closed.
"We had a chat and the situation is solved. The investigation is over," said Villas-Boas.
"You saw the player involved and he put in a good collective performance, like the team did.
"Hopefully these things won't arise in the group again. If they do, it will be the manager who has to resolve it."
Villa-Boas refused to confirm whether the misfiring Spain striker had done enough to play his way into the starting XI for Sunday's Premier League showdown at Manchester United.
He added: "I have to make a decision. We have another couple of days to train, and he will compete with the other four for that position. We have to take the best decision possible."
Different challenge
After beating Leverkusen, Villas-Boas accepts his team will face "different kind of challenge altogether" when domestic action resumes this weekend.
"We face United perhaps in their most tremendous moment of motivation and flair and style," said the Chelsea manager, who feels Didier Drogba may need more time to recover from a head injury, the striker only set to resume training with the squad at the end of the week.
"A team that has made its impact at the beginning of the Premier League different from last year, but I think it provokes in us a good challenge.
"Motivation will be the key factor in the game, and the capacity of people to transcend themselves and take the game through and come back from Old Trafford with a win.
"We will go there to try to win it. Let's see how it happens. It's going to be a very, very good game early season for the Premiership."
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