Reina: Chelsea have not helped Torres

The Spaniard, a long-time friend of Torres, said that Chelsea had not made adjustments to accommodate their £50m signing, and had not helped the striker rediscover his confidence when his form dipped.

"The difference between Fernando and myself is that I have had the confidence of the people at my club all the time. I don't think that has been the case for Fernando at Chelsea," Reina said. "It is much easier to get over your mistakes when you know you have the confidence of your manager and your team-mates. With [André] Villas-Boas especially, I don't think Fernando felt that confidence."

Torres has found some form in recent weeks, scoring against Barcelona at the Nou Camp as Chelsea closed in on the Champions League final, and following it up with a hat-trick against QPR in the league.

The two friends will be on opposing sides in the FA Cup final, but Reina insists he is pleased to see Torres’ resurgence.

"I'm happy for him because he has been showing great form lately and has been more involved in their games,” the goalkeeper said.

“Physically he looks sharper. I'm glad. It's good for the national team and good for him. Maybe not so good for us on Saturday but I wish him to be at that level all the time.

"We are friends and we speak regularly. I told him [while Torres was struggling] that he was going to be back. People, and the press in this country especially, were killing him but he has been carrying that weight all his life. He was captain of Atlético Madrid when he was 19 and that gave him a lot of experience. We knew Fernando at Liverpool, we know Fernando, and Fernando is a great player. He will always be a great player."

"When you move there is always a question mark,” Reina added.

"We knew how good he was here but he needed to change city, team-mates and the mentality of the team. That is a hell of a change. He had to get used to that but also keep delivering and the expectations when a team has spent £50m on a player are also very high. The pressure was there but I don't think it was only down to Fernando. I don't think Chelsea as a club delivered for him.

"We built a team for Fernando here at Liverpool. Along with Stevie [Gerrard], Fernando was our star player. We had no problems admitting that. He deserved that and he earned that credit.

“I'm not sure it's like that at Chelsea. Fernando has always performed at his best when he has been at the heart of the team. I'm not saying Chelsea have to do that because Fernando can perform for any club in the world, but it is easier when you have that situation."