27.9.07

Crouch: He's doing magnificent!

Peter Crouch has paid tribute to strike-partner Fernando Torres for the way he has settled into life in England

Six goals before the end of September have ensured the Spaniard is already a firm favourite on the Kop. And Crouch revealed the new boy is adapting just as well off the pitch.

He said: "Fernando speaks a bit of English, though he's not confident enough to do interviews yet. But in the dressing room he's got a bit about him and it's always good to see a player trying to adapt and learn the language. He's a good lad. The Spanish lads are helping him settle in.

"He was magnificent at Reading. The thing about Fernando is that he's a top-class player but he works so hard for the team. You can see that. The manager obviously likes all the players to work hard and the strikers to track back - he does that extremely well, as well as his more obvious qualities.

The Liverpool striker certainly played well with Torres in the Reading game

"His goals were fantastically taken and it was a superb all-round performance.

"He's a strong lad and he proved that he can certainly cope with the physical side. He comes from a different way of playing - Spanish football is different to English football - but he's an extremely strong physical player. He has pace and attributes to help him cope with that. I'm sure he's going to be a force this year.

"I enjoy playing with a player with such blistering pace as Fernando. I'll hold the ball up and get in the box, he can run onto the loose balls and get in behind defences. I certainly think we complement each other. Fernando can win things in the air as well but the fact that he is pacy and reads the flicks helps him get in behind."

Liverpool are unbeaten in 10 games so far this season, a consistency which Crouch believes is now approaching that of Man United and Chelsea.

"We want to be as consistent as we can," he said. "Chelsea and Manchester United have proved how consistent you have to be to get anywhere near winning the league and we need to turn some of those draws into wins now.

"Ten unbeaten is a good start for us. It could have been even better but we need to get that winning mentality that the other two had last year and I believe we are getting that.

"We've certainly got strength in depth. The manager has a lot of players at his disposal. We are going to challenge on all fronts this year. I really believe that.

"The players the manager has brought in seem to have settled straight away and we've got off to a good start. Sometimes it can take a while to bed in but they've come in and are really firing. That's good for the squad and good for the team."

(Courtesy: www.liverpoolfc.tv)

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