Chelsea quiz Fernando Torres over criticism of 'slow', 'old' team-mates

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed the club are looking into an interview by Fernando Torres in which the benched striker appeared to criticise his own team-mates.

Torres and Villas-Boas

Torres, who has scored just one goal since his £50 million transfer from Liverpool in January, spoke to the official website of Spain's Primera Liga and appeared to hint at a lack of service from Chelsea's "older" and "very slow" players in an English translation that later appeared on his personal website.

Villas-Boas sought an explanation from Torres, who claimed his words were not translated accurately on his own website.

Chelsea are now seeking to obtain a copy of the interview in its original Spanish and Villas-Boas revealed he would warn Torres not to speak so candidly about the club in future if the translation did stand up.

"We are going in-depth to regain the tape of that interview," Villas-Boas said. "We'll see if things play exactly as they are in that interview. We want to go in-depth a bit more. Anyhow, it's one player's perspective. I don't think it's a perspective that the manager shares. I don't have to share my players' ideas sometimes."

Meanwhile, amid the controversy, Villas-Boas is hoping his decision to drop Torres for the 2-1 win against Sunderland on Saturday in favour of Daniel Sturridge will spark the striker into life.

Sturridge justified his inclusion with a crucial goal, and while Villas-Boas refused to confirm whether Torres would be reinstated to the starting XI for Chelsea's Champions League opener against Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, he revealed he expected the striker to benefit from his time on the bench.

"Any player that is not part of the squad, or not part of the selected players is not happy," Villas-Boas said. "I am glad that they are not happy because it means that maybe you can stimulate them to go one step further.

"Or maybe you can motivate them a little bit more and when they come back to being selected or to starting in the first XI they can still perform."