Edin Dzeko claims Fernando Torres inspired him to break League duck

Posted Wednesday, April 27, 2011 by theguardian.com

• Manchester City striker says he never doubted himself
• Torres also scored first goal for Chelsea after £50m move

Edin Dzeko claims Fernando Torres inspired him to break League duck
Edin Dzeko celebrates his goal against Blackburn Rovers minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Edin Dzeko insists he never lost faith that he would finally get off the mark following his £27.5m move to Manchester City in January, with Fernando Torres's inaugural strike on Saturday for Chelsea proving an inspiration.

Dzeko opened his account in his 10th Premier League appearance for Roberto Mancini's side with the 75th-minute goal that gave City a crucial 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers yesterday. This strengthened City's hold on fourth position, with the lead over Tottenham Hotspur now four points. Each side has five games left to play.

"Never have I doubted myself because I know what I am capable of," the former Wolfsburg striker said. "I just needed to work hard and I know everything will come back for me. I started slowly when I was in the Bundesliga so this is nothing new for me. The new season [next season] will be the time for me.

"It was my first goal and a very important one for the team, so I'm very happy. A striker's job is to take [his] chances to score. I got one chance and I scored it so that's great for me.

"Nobody is happy when they're not playing. I think the worst is now behind me and this game is a new beginning for me at City. For every striker it's important to have some crosses, sometimes they come, sometimes not. But I got one [for my goal]. I'm ready to work hard and I promise the fans they will see a lot of goals for me in the future.

"The first goal is always very important. OK, I scored in the FA Cup and the Europa League [before] but when you keep reading about how I hadn't scored in the Premier League, the pressure starts to build. But now it's come and that's important."

Torres's goal came against West Ham United on Saturday after 732 minutes without breaking his duck for Chelsea following his £50m move in January from Liverpool. Asked if this had inspired him, Dzeko said: "Yes, of course I saw it. I am happy as well for him because I know how it is when you don't score. He was playing for Liverpool for four years and scored a lot of goals, then he changed clubs and can't score. I know that's what can happen in football."

Regarding the hopes of City qualifying for the first time for the Champions League the Bosnian hinted that the club may yet be able to catch Arsenal, who are third and five points ahead having played a game more. He said: "Spurs [have] lost points, Arsenal did too. Now we have a home game and we'll see if we can take advantage."