Carlo Ancelotti has admitted Chelsea are all but out of the Premier League title race as he prepares to field David Luiz at Fulham on Monday.
But despite boasting such world-class reinforcements, Ancelotti appears to have accepted a Champions League place is the best he can hope for in the Premier League.
The Blues failed to sustain a bright start to the season and a series of poor results have left them fourth in the standings and 10 points adrift of Manchester United.
"For us it is difficult to think we can come back to fight for the title. It is better for us to think game by game," he said.
"We have to reach fourth place in the table, minimum. It is better to think game by game because to close the gap is very difficult.
"We must be honest, the most important step is to reach fourth place and we have to fight with other teams (to do that).
"The surprise was that the bad moment we experienced was too long."
Luiz, meanwhile, is looking forward to being part of the star-studded Chelsea dressing room and believes it will help him grow as a player.
Ancelotti already rates the January recruit from Benfica enough to spend heavily on him, but the Brazil defender believes there is plenty to learn from his new team-mates.
One of those is, of course, Torres, whose record move from Liverpool somewhat overshadowed the Luiz deal.
Luiz is used to strikers getting the lion's share of the publicity and is happy to be sharpening his defensive skills alongside an attacking group that also includes Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda.
"I'm just happy to be here to help Chelsea conquer their aims and be successful. I want to become a better player.
"It is certainly easier to play alongside them in training; I had the privilege to play against Torres when I was at Benfica and it was much harder.
"I can only learn from the best and it is a great pleasure to play alongside great players."
Another Blues icon Luiz is hoping to strike a partnership with is captain John Terry.
Luiz is expected to start alongside the England man in central defence on Monday and he is simply pleased to at the same club.
He continued: "Football in general admires John Terry, not just me. He is an amazing player who has won a lot. I would like to learn from John Terry and have the same success he has had for many years."
