New Zealand recently returned from the Confederations Cup with mixed results, which included a 0-0 draw against Iraq. While I couldn't be there due to injury, I did watch on with great interest and was a passionate supporter. One player who really stood out in the competition was Spanish dynamo, Fernando Torres, a lightning quick striker who scored a hat trick against New Zealand.

Fernando, for me, was the hardest player to mark in the English Premier League last season. He is very hard to play against. Fernando has plenty of attributes - he's very quick, strong in the air, can score goals from anywhere, be it a tap in on the run or a scorcher from 25-yards, and just to cap it off he is probably the best striker in world football right now.

His striking powers were there for all of us to see in our game against Spain when he put three goals past us in just 17 minutes, he is incredibly destructive. He was obviously an important players for us to match-up on.

It's not often you get the chance to test yourself against someone of Fernando's ability and our whole team would have learnt a lot (even if it was a painful lesson) after playing against Fernando and the Spanish team.

To defend him you need to take your own pride and ego out of the equation. It takes super organisation as a team and you really need to rely on each other to get the job done.

You also need to recognise that at some point during the game a player the quality of Fernando will beat you and that's when you rely on your teammates to help cover and prevent opportunities opening up.

To assist in preventing a great striker you also need to deny others getting the ball to them and, if they do get the ball, outnumber them to limit their space and opportunity to express their talent.

Having said that, it's not always an easy task, but these are the defensive keys to stopping any great player.

Coming up in part two of my Confederations Cup wrap I'll provide my thoughts on New Zealand's performance.