Ancelotti undecided whether to unleash Spaniard against Reds

COBHAM: Carlo Ancelotti admits he has yet to decide whether to play Fernando Torres from the start of today’s Premier League clash against Liverpool.

Torres has only trained with his new team-mates for three days since his transfer from Liverpool, but he is keen to make his debut against his former club at Stamford Bridge.

Ancelotti is certain to name Torres in his squad, but the Blues boss may opt not to change a winning team following Chelsea’s 4-2 victory at Sunderland in mid=week.

“Fernando is fit, OK, and has trained well. He’s available to play against Liverpool,” Ancelotti said on Friday.

“Obviously, I don’t know if he will start or if he will come on during the game. It’s my decision.”

For much of the season, Ancelotti has been playing a 4-3-3 formation with Didier Drogba supported by two from Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou.

But the addition of Torres means the Italian will consider tinkering with his tactics.

At Sunderland he played Drogba alongside Kalou, with Anelka just behind the front two, and the Italian could retain that formation to include Torres.

“He’s not a winger. He’s a striker. We have to find the right place to put him and the right system for all of the players to play together,” Ancelotti said.

“Everyone knows he’s a fantastic striker, he has abilities and skills to score. I ask a striker not just to score but to play for the team.

“You want to use his quality and ability for the team. This is our expectation. He’s an unselfish player and doesn’t have a problem playing for Chelsea.”