The bedlam of transfer deadline day has been and gone, Jim “Deadline Day” White is sat at home still recuperating from his exertions on Sky Sports News and Harry Redknapp is probably still trying to sign a striker that has no interest in swapping the balmy climes of the Iberian peninsula for the charms of an English winter. Yet the reverberations of Monday’s transfer bedlam are still shaking the teams involved.
With a combined January outlay of £130 million it is fair to say that both Liverpool and Chelsea were a bit desperate in the transfer window just gone. Sideshow Bob lookalike David Luiz was signed from Portugese giants Benfica, whilst there was also the small matter of a British transfer record signing of a certain Fernando Torres. Whilst Liverpool went out and replaced their Spanish talisman with the signings of Uruguayan Striker (and part time goal keeper) Luis Suarez and the giant of a man that is Andy Carroll.
In another ‘you just couldn’t write this’ moment for the Premier League, Fernando Torres’ first game as Chelsea’s number nine just so happens to be against his former employers, who are sure to give Torres a hot reception. Carlo Ancelotti has intimated that the Spaniard will start despite Chelsea’s impressive attacking display away at Sunderland. Just how he integrates Torres into his line up will be arguably more interesting that the off the field side show that will accompany the game. With Anelka comfortable in a wide right position and Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou battling for the opposite wing, the most obvious option would be to drop Didier Drogba for Torres – a move that will surely incense the temperamental Ivorian. Another option would be for Torres to occupy one of the outside forward positions and go with a front three of Anelka, Torres and Drogba.
In a highly unlikely move Carlo Ancelotti could dramatically alter the formation of his side and revert to a standard 4-4-2 situation with Torres and one other up front. Chelsea have the players to do so, with John Obi Mikel the most likely to drop to the bench, leaving Michael Essien and Frank Lampard occupying the central midfield positions. Liverpool have a similar problem to Chelsea in that the departure of Torres leaves them in something of tactical quandary. New signing Luis Suarez is more of a support striker than an out and out striker and the same can be said of Dirk Kuyt. When Andy Carroll returns from injury he will be played in tandem with Suarez but with no physical presence or a striker naturally used to playing on the shoulder Liverpool could struggle to break down the Chelsea defence.
Whilst if Chelsea do opt for a 4-4-2, Liverpool could gain the upper hand in a midfield battle. The ever improving Lucas and Raul Meireles in combination with Steven Gerrard should feasibly dominate if they do gain a man advantage. The script has been written for both Torres and Suarez to ingrain themselves into the hearts of their new employers. It is a hard game to predict, sure to be cagey and tense, but Chelsea need a result more than Liverpool. One thing is for sure: any 50-50’s involving Fernando Torres and Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard could be interesting.
As a knock-on of the Andy Carroll saga, in between all the questions as to whether he is really worth £35 million, it has been overlooked that Newcastle have not only lost their most prolific striker but had no chance to bring in a replacement. Newcastle currently sit in a seemingly comfortable tenth position, but in reality they are not yet safe from the spectre of relegation. Just six points separate them from the bottom three. The departure of Andy Carroll could have left Mike Ashley’s casino fund looking rather healthy, but the club could also find themselves counting the cost of relegation come next season.
In their first home game since Carroll’s contentious departure, they find themselves up against an increasingly resilient Arsenal side. Their result against Everton demonstrated a remarkable character and fight not seen in recent Arsenal sides. It was, whisper it, a champions-esque performance, seen so commonly by supporters of Chelsea and Manchester United. Arsenal suddenly find themselves in a very strong position; they have by far the easiest run in of the title challengers. They have no away games against any of the current top four and have eight games that you cannot see them losing between now and their clash at the Emirates with Manchester United.
A win for Arsenal at St. James Park would cement their title credentials going into a section of the season in which they could feasibly catch up with United. Whereas Newcastle need Andy Carroll’s old supporting cast to prove their worth, especially with the injury Shola Ameobi received at Fulham. Both young Nile Ranger and Leon Best need to start firing, Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton will continue to feed the quality that Carroll thrived on, it is now up to the strikers to cement their place for next season. With £35 million apparently all going to Pardew, the summer should provide Carroll’s direct replacement, aswell as a potential replacement for any misfiring strikers at the club.
Both of these games demonstrate the real excitement of football. Away from the hysteria of rumour and counter rumour. Come Monday, we could be looking at reinvigorated title challenges, refreshed optimism for the future or utter despondency. It is what the Premier League does best.
