Carra: Torres is a nightmare

Jamie Carragher today revealed how he hates marking Fernando Torres in training and lauded the Spanish sensation as the world's top striker.

Torres is currently in a rich vein of form having bagged five goals in his last three games and Carra reckons there is no finer front man than Liverpool's No.9.

"For me I think Torres is the best striker in the world," he said. "But I can see arguments for (Wayne) Rooney and (Didier) Drogba. Man Utd fans would say Rooney and Chelsea fans would say Drogba. They are all in the Barclays Premier League.

"Torres is a nightmare to defend against in training. He has pace and power and that is what causes you problems. He is not going to drop off and do nice touches. He is always looking to get beyond you and score a goal."

Meanwhile, Carragher believes dented confidence has been a key factor in Liverpool's up-and-down season.

The Reds began the campaign amongst the title favourites after finishing second last term having amassed 86 points, but mixed early season form and misfortune saw Rafael Benitez's contingent fall out of championship contention.

Carragher said: "There is no set reason why the season has not gone as well as we would have hoped.

"We just haven't played well enough. We struggled right from the off. I think we were hit hard by the disappointment of not fighting for the league title like we thought we would. That knocked our confidence.

"Last year we were at our best. We were flying and confidence was high but it has been different this season.

"For other teams, fourth is top of the world and they have been buzzing all season, but we were disappointed realising we would not win the league."

Liverpool enjoyed great success against title rivals Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal last season - with only the Gunners preventing the Reds from winning by claiming a couple of draws.

Carragher continued: "Each year is different and the little things can change it, like when we conceded two quick goals against Arsenal at Anfield.

"Any little thing against the top sides gets punished. We still have Chelsea to play and that is a very big game if we want to get into the top four."

Nonetheless, the Reds will still aim to end 2009-10 on a high note as they pursue a top four finish and success in the Europa League.

At the start of the weekend, Liverpool were four points behind fourth place Tottenham Hotspur in the Barclays Premier League having played a game more.

Carragher feels Harry Redknapp's men are currently 'slight favourites' in the race for Champions League football - but the vice-captain is calling on his teammates to ensure a strong finale to the season.

"Tottenham are in the driving seat at the moment," he said. "They are playing well and winning games. But you don't know how the FA Cup will affect them.

"We have got to put a great run together because Aston Villa and Manchester City are challenging hard and Everton are sneaking up there."

He added: "The Champions League is probably the biggest club knock-out competition in the world. It is as big, or bigger, than the World Cup."

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