Preview: Chelsea versus Liverpool
Just a week ago, Chelsea had a slim shot at remaining the Premier League champion, Liverpool weren’t guaranteed a spot in Europe, let alone the Champions League, and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fernando-Torres-c13707 was still on Merseyside.
In a single day, the Premier League title race got a little more interesting: the Reds seemed to get a new life, and what was already a Super Sunday matchup became a mammoth one.
Torres completed his dream move to Chelsea in time to face his old club, while Liverpool snapped up Ajax ace, Luis Suarez, and Newcastle’s Andy Carroll for a combined fee of £57.8 million.
Chelsea's manager, Carlo Ancelotti, stated that Torres should be involved in the match but it might not be a sure bet to start against his former club. Chelsea’s cheap signing on deadline day, former Benfica man, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Luiz-c10542, is also in contention for his
Blues’ debut.
Torres, now the Blues’ No. 9, claimed it may be his destiny to score his first goal for Chelsea against Liverpool, but he will not celebrate out of respect for the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 fans.
It will take some time for Chelsea's new image to form, as it is undeniable that the purchase of Torres does bring with it some costs. Ancelotti has used a 4-3-3 formation most of the season with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nicolas-Anelka-c27786 upfront.
That is a system Torres simply does not fit into.
Kenny Dalglish admitted he was a little disappointed by the timing of Torres' transfer, but he was more concerned about Liverpool which won three games in a row without conceding.
It remains to be seen how Ancelotti deploys Torres to maximize his threat. Will Torres partner Drogba up front as he is more accustomed to, or will he be the lone striker with others supporting him? Regadless of how it is done, Ancelotti will have to leave
someone on the bench, and it is not going to be the youngest and most expensive player. So, the “Billionaires in Blue” better prepare themselves for some attitude.
Rumor has it Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, is the one who really orchestrated the Torres purchase, not his manager. Only time will tell if Ancelotti handles the situation better than Jose Mourinho did with the signing of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Andriy-Shevchenko-c6014.
Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish, will be delighted to offload Torres, who clearly looked out of sorts. Carroll will be injured for a few more weeks, but Suarez came on in the second half against Stoke and scored a goal after 16 minutes on the field.
Against Stoke, the Reds played three at the back and effectively had a six-man midfield with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dirk-Kuyt-c11348 as the only striker until Suarez came on. Stoke’s long-ball, physical tactics would have been no fun for Suarez, and his debut was made easier by the fact
that the Reds were already up a goal.
But this attack-minded formation may do well at Stamford Bridge against a team like http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jamie-Carragher-c17728 to the starting line up for the
first time since November.
Dalglish may choose to give Suarez his first start and could leave Kuyt up front as his strike partner. He is less likely to forward his full backs, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Glen-Johnson-c15050, into the game, and for them to pull this off, Chelsea’s back line needs to
be sharp.
With both teams currently flying high, playing enticing football and looking to score whenever possible, fans should expect an exciting game. Three points for Chelsea will certainly put them back in the title race, and if Torres gets the winning goal, it
would help justify his transfer fee. A Liverpool victory could knock the Blues out of title contention and simultaneously give the Reds a boost for the rest of the season, not to mention at least a 10-year contract for Dalglish.
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