Fernando Torres desperate to shake off dejection at Club World Cup

But the Chelsea striker says winning the title will not make up for the English Premier League side's exit from the Uefa Champions League.

Fernando Torres, right, will look to resurrect Chelsea's form and fortunes following disappointments in recent matches. Franck Robichon / EPA

Fernando Torres says winning the Club World Cup would not make up for the disappointment of Chelsea's embarrassingly early exit from the Champions League.

The English side, preparing for Thursday's semi-final against Monterrey in Yokohama, last week became the first defending champions in Uefa Champions League history to crash out at the group stage the following season.

It capped a miserable spell for Chelsea during which they slipped off the pace in the English Premier League. The dip in form led to the ouster of Roberto di Matteo, the manager.

"It wouldn't make up for the Champions League, they are different things," Torres said. "It was a dream to win it last season and we wanted to do it again this time to be the first team to do two in a row, and it's a big disappointment to go out in the group stage.

"But now we must forget the Champions League, because we are out, and focus on this instead. There are not many chances to play in this competition, so we have to take it. Who knows if we will play in another one?"

And Torres, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, insisted the showpiece tournament offered the 2012 Champions League winners the chance to call themselves world champions.

He said: "How many people don't take this tournament seriously, or don't think it is like the real World Cup? It is for the clubs. You ask the South American people. [Defender] David Luiz showed me a video of Corinthians fans at the airport. It was full of fans cheering the team and travelling to Japan to support, so it is important.

"In Europe, maybe we don't give it as much attention, and to some people it might not mean much, but to me it does, so this is not a holiday or a break, this is a World Cup.

"It's nice to be involved, and maybe to be able to say you are a world champion," Torres said.

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