This is how I like to think Fernando Torres took the news from Andre Villas-Boas on Saturday afternoon that he was to start a fourth consecutive match from the bench.
Just replace Charlie Murphy with Nando and we have ourselves a dead-on reenactment. Jokes aside, it is highly interesting that Torres has enjoyed a plush seat rather than featuring prominently over the past three weeks. Didier Drogba, meanwhile, has started three straight matches for our side, something I don't think any of us could have predicted at the start of the month.
Is something larger at work here? Maybe Villas-Boas simply doesn't rather the Spaniard and, surprisingly, has received Roman's blessing in moving past (i.e. ship out) the expensive experiment. Unlikely, though one could make an argument that could be the case considering that Roman, you would think, would not be best pleased seeing his new toy sitting on the bench with a puffy coach on for the last couple of weeks.
No, I doubt that's it. I chalk it down to rotation and a mix of other factors. One, I think Villas-Boas is trying to get Drogba into some kind of form. He realizes how important this man is to the side even at his age. Plus, you know, we need more than one in-form striker. Two, with AVB apparently being given the time necessary to reconstruct this side regardless of results (to an extent), I believe he's interchanging our parts to see who works best within his system. Drogba's three-game run has featured a lot of different faces in and around him. Perhaps AVB wants to figure out the best pieces for his approach so we have a better idea of who to cut and who to pursue in both the January and summer transfer windows.
That has to be it, right? Suddenly shunning a striker like Torres who, despite the red card, was beginning to find his vintage rhythm again just doesn't make much sense in the now. In the grand scheme, however, one can begin to somewhat understand the decision.
Either way, I expect the Spaniard to be back in the mix very soon. If not, he might just throw a tantrum on AVB's figurative white leather couch.