By SHAUN CUSTIS
THE pressure is properly on Fernando Torres now.
For Torres is a Rafa Benitez man and there are not too many of them around Stamford Bridge.
The £50million signing from Liverpool has always had the benefit of the doubt before.
Chelsea fans defended him in the face of fierce criticism believing that one day he would come good.
And when Didier Drogba was a Blue, Torres’ poor form never mattered too much anyway.
But with Drogba wrapped up in the stands, watching his old club as the rain hammered down, his drip of a replacement went through another tortuous afternoon.
Torres was just as bad as he was under Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo.
He will not get away with many more sub-standard displays before the supporters really let him have it because of his association with the hated Benitez who was loudly booed before the start.
Rafa was the bloke who brought Torres to Liverpool and the manager the misfit striker has always believed in most.
Torres is on record as saying Rafa made him into the goalscoring machine he became at Anfield.
But those magical powers he supposedly possesses to resurrect Torres failed against City.
Benitez tried to help him out by getting the ball forward more quickly with a hoof or two from the back — but it made little difference. Torres was too easily brushed off the ball whenever he went one-on-one with a defender.
And he blazed his best chance over the top from 16 yards.
In the whole game, Chelsea only had two shots on target — and neither of them came from Torres.
It is hard to feel sorry for the bloke — he just does not look that interested, whether it is his mate Benitez in the dugout, or anyone else.
On the plus side for the new boss, and he could do with one or two, this was the Blues’ first clean sheet in 11 games.
Defensively they were much tighter and you could not fault the way they battled to keep the ball out of their own goal. But City missed a big chance here to return to the top of the Premier League table with all the bile echoing round The Bridge.
No wonder manager Roberto Mancini admitted afterwards he was “not satisfied” with a point.
He was, though, giving quiet thanks that he was priced out of signing Torres from Liverpool a couple of years back.
This was a day when Chelsea were there for the taking.
You got the feeling the home crowd would not have been over-fussy if they had lost.
It would have re-enforced their point that Benitez was not wanted.
Owner Roman Abramovich may not care what the fans think, but even he must have wondered about the wisdom of his latest managerial choice given the surreal atmosphere.
There were not too many highlights over the 90 minutes. The millions watching round the world must have been shaking their heads that this was a clash between the European champions and the English champions.
But they did see a performance by Ashley Cole which questioned why Chelsea are not fighting harder to keep him.
Cole is the No 1 full-back in the country and made a brilliant covering tackle on City’s Pablo Zabaleta which set the tone for his afternoon.
As songs rang out for axed boss Di Matteo, the cameras panned to a stern Benitez — and then Abramovich.
They would have felt even more uncomfortable had City’s David Silva managed to direct a header at goal instead of over the top.
Zabaleta also had a shot saved by Chelsea keeper Petr Cech and Sergio Aguero missed a great chance when presented with a free header which he directed straight at Cech.
It summed up Torres’ day that, when he did manage to break away from the City defence and get a run going, he was hauled back for handling the ball on the halfway line.
Chelsea were holding firm and a long-range effort from Yaya Toure was claimed again by Cech.
Then came the moment where it opened up for Torres as Juan Mata played it in for Eden Hazard and the Belgian laid it back.
Torres had time to take aim and struck it firmly but the ball flew over the bar. Substitute Carlos Tevez wasted an opening for City, slicing the ball high into the stands from a tight angle, and James Milner fired at Cech’s legs.
Then a Cole shot was flipped over by keeper Joe Hart, even though referee Chris Foy awarded a goal-kick.
Madcap Italian striker Mario Balotelli had been waiting four minutes in the rain to come on and must have wished he had not bothered.
For a couple of minutes into added time he went down the middle and was blatantly blocked off by Brazilian defender David Luiz.
Incredibly, Balotelli was booked, apparently for unsporting behaviour.
Poor Mario, there are some who will always see him as the bad guy.
Benitez must know how he feels.
