Liverpool Transfers: 10 Reasons Carroll and Suarez Are Better Than Torres
It's been an emotional couple of weeks for the Liverpool faithful; they've gone from the prospect of a Torres/Suarez combination to the despairing possibly of not having either, to the eventual reality of losing their Spanish star but gaining a tantalisingly talented, tandem strike partnership in return.
New owner John Henry has Anfield buzzing once more with a potential combination of finishing ability that has the Anfield crowd reminiscing back to the Dalglish/Rush days of prosperity and silverware.
It's been a successful January for King Kenny and here are 10 reasons why the new heroes on Merseyside are better for the Reds than that Torres guy was.
Partnership
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As great of a player Torres was, he was always going to struggle to carry the goalscoring load with the likes of David N'gog and Andriy Voronin, his underwhelming strike partners.
Carroll and Suarez, on paper, looks like a fundamental big man/little man partnership which has been a proven theory to success in English football. Even Liverpool fans don't need to go back too far to remember a similar sort of partnership in Michael Owen and Emile Heskey taking the Reds to UEFA Cup glory in 2001; something the current Liverpool fans can only dream of.
Goalscoring Form
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The way Fernando Torres has played this season, getting £50m for him looks like daylight robbery. The question remains as to whether the Spaniard can return to his scintillating best but Liverpool will be less concerned about the goal return their new signings can provide.
Andy Carroll has scored goals for fun in this his first full season of Premier League football and Luis Suarez has already opened his Anfield account with his late goal on debut against Stoke on Wednesday.
If the Uruguayan can come close to equalling his prolific goal scoring form for Ajax, he'll be a Liverpool legend for years to come.
Tactical Flexibility
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In the Torres days, it was very much a case of Plan A or Ryan Babel. Now Liverpool have the capability to threaten the target in a variety of ways.
Carroll's aerial ability now provides the likes of Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson a clear target from set pieces and crosses.
These new plans seem very dangerous but they seem even better when you remember that they also have Suarez leading the line as well.
Carroll can hold the ball up and flick the ball on providing his partner with space and opportunities to cause havoc.
The Liverpool fans' lips are beginning to water with the prospect of these two on the pitch together with the likes of Gerrard and an ever improving Raul Meireles tucked in behind.
Desire To Play For The Club
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Upon arrival Luis Suarez said he way excited about being at "The most famous team in England". Even more impressively, Andy Carroll left his home team, a club which he loved and with fans that loved him for Anfield.
No matter how talented Fernando Torres was, you'll never get the best out of a player who doesn't want to be there; they've now got two players who are delighted to be at Liverpool
Hunger
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In his post-signing press conference at Stamford Bridge, Fernando Torres made it clear why he was at Chelsea: to win the Champions League.
Despite lifting the famous trophy only six years ago, something Chelsea have never done, Liverpool are currently light years away from European glory. Both new signings know what the current objectives are at Anfield, to rebuild the team and get them back to that level, not the immediate glory Mr Torres demanded.
Consistency
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If Fernando Torres played badly for Liverpool, the chances of them winning were slim. Now with two top strikers in place there is less pressure on the front men to score in each and every game.
If Suarez has a bad game, Carroll could grab a couple to get three points and vice versa. There is more margin for error and not the same reliance on Torres that there was in the past and that is a good thing for Liverpool.
Age
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Fernando Torres isn't exactly close to collecting his pension at 26 but you can't overlook the fact that they've signed two younger men in Suarez, 24, and Carroll who's a pup at a mere 22.
If this duo can provide the spark that takes Liverpool back to European football's elite, and they can keep their two men happy, there will be a bigger window for success than there was with the Spaniard
Playing Time
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Ankle problems, groin strains, hernia surgery: this is a list of the problems that kept Torres sidelined during his Liverpool days.
Andy Carroll may be out at the moment but at least you're going to have at least one of the new two available at any given moment, something you couldn't rely upon with Torres
Attracting Other Top Players
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Liverpool have been criticised in the past for being a three man team. The general theory has been "take away Gerrard Torres and Reina and what have you got?".
Well now they have taken away Torres but in signing two very good players Liverpool have added depth and quality to their squad making it more inviting place for potential signings to come.
The two-tier squad, Gerrard/Torres/Reina in the first tier with everyone else below, has been removed with a fuller more balanced squad now in place.
Fan Support
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Over the past month there has been a changing of the guard at Anfield. The unsuccessful period of Roy Hodgson and the disjointed form of his team are gone and a new era with King Kenny back at the helm has a sense of anticipation around Merseyside once more.
The fans have complete faith in their messiah manager, and if he's pleased with the result of the transfer window, so will the Kop.
