Torres V Carroll: The Showdown

An exhilarating finale to the January transfer window saw over £100 million spent in one day smashing all previous records, with Liverpool and Chelsea the big spenders.

The major talking point was of course Fernando Torres and his somewhat surprising replacement at Liverpool, Andy Carroll. Both players are drastically different in almost every way, making their comparison almost comical.

Torres, the baby faced Spaniard, world renowned for his pace, skill on the ball, outstanding finishing and aerial prowess. He has proved himself at the highest level time and time again and established himself as one of the best strikers in the world.

Frankly the prospect of a partnership with Chelsea talisman Didier Drogba is terrifying for all of us non-Chelsea fans, and is making Chelsea fans insufferably smug.

However avid Torres admirers will point out that he has not been at his mouth watering best for over a year and may even suggest that he’s past it.

I am not of this opinion and am waiting for him to display the mesmerising football for which he is known, once more. Well worth the £50 million price tag.

Then we come to Andy Carroll, the big rugged Geordie known for throwing himself about, causing havoc for defences and banging in goals with his head.

Although not demonstrating the natural prowess and pace of Torres it cannot be argued that he is an exciting talent, possessing a surprising first touch for a big boy and a huge left foot.

Of course being young and English, his transfer fee was an outrageous £35 million making him the most expensive English player of all time. This may seem surprising considering he has only 11 premier league goals to his name and is currently injured for two weeks.

On the face of it you have to say that Chelsea got the best deal, however Liverpool’s other signing Luis Suarez cannot be forgotten.

The £23 million man looks remarkably similar to Torres showing pace, skill and lethal finishing albeit unproven at the highest level.

The prospect of this technically gifted, pacey, flair player pairing up with the strong powerful Carroll creates another potentially electrifying partnership.

So Chelsea look good with their proven players creating a potentially devastating front line. Liverpool however cannot be written off with their exciting though unproven attacking pairing……only time will tell.

This weekend’s Liverpool V Chelsea showdown looks to be one of the most explosive in years, with Torres, Suarez and Drogba all on display, the only disappointment being Carrols inability to play due to injury.