Sunday, January 06, 2008
To be honest, I really thought Liverpool still had a chance of winning the title even when they dropped behind by around 10 points, albeit with a game in hand. Why? It's because of the African Cup of Nations. Although most might think this cup would make no difference what so ever on the title race, it was a chance no matter what. Let's look at the players that were going to leave, from the Top4 teams only.:
ArsenalEmmanuel Eboue (Ivory Coast)
Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast)
Alexandre Song (Cameroon)
ChelseaJohn Obi Mikel (Nigeria)
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
Saloman Kalou (Ivory Coast)
Michael Essien (Ghana)
LiverpoolMohamed Sissoko (Mali)
Nabil El-Zhar (Morocco)
Manchester UnitedManucho (Angulo)
Most might argue,
err... So? But you see that two out of the four major teams have around 3-4 players going to the African Cup of Nations. Let's look at Arsenal, first of all. They'll not have Emmanuel Eboue, who plays in the right-back or right midfielder positions. Bakary Sagna, a Frenchman by the way, plays at right-back currently, probably first choice there, so it should not be a problem, at right-back. At right midfield, Aliaksandr Hleb was the first choice and probably is still the first choice there. Justin Hoyte can also play at right-back. So unless any of these players are injured, Eboue might not be missed, presence-wise. But his huge amounts of pace and direct running could be missed, as Hleb is a different type of player, who prefers playing around with the ball. Alexander Song is a defensive midfielder, who can also plays at defence, is another one going to Ghana. He is on the fringes of the first team, and only probably plays in the local cups. The main player going to be missed is Kolo Toure. He is a rock in the centre of defence. There is cover though, in the shape of Birmingham loanee Johan Djourou returning and Swiss defender Phillipe Senderos. Both isn't as dependable as Toure, as Senderos is on the slow side and Djourou is still quite young. It'll be up to either to step it up a notch to cover for the departing Toure.
The next team is Chelsea, and they have Didier Drogba, probably the most important player going to the African Cup of Nations. They'll miss his immense strength, power, pace and striking ability. Although Avram Grant still has Claudio Pizzaro and Andriy Shevchenko at his disposal, neither one has proved as effective as Drogba. Pizzaro hasn't really got into the English game yet, whilst Shevchenko has had a decent form so far. The midfield will be heavily dependent on for the goals when Drogba is not around. Another huge miss is Michael Essien, who plays for Ghana. His drive and huge stamina in midfield will be sorely missed. Steve Sidwell could replace him, but he's more of a ball-playing midfielder, with not as much tackling prowess or chasing of the ball. John Obi Mikel is another midfielder that will not be available for selection. He will not be as missed as Essien and Drogba, as there is still Michael Ballack and probably Claude Makelele to replace him. Forward Saloman Kalou will be a player missed, he's trickiness and wing play are vital for Chelsea, however Chelsea still have Joe Cole, Florent Malouda and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Liverpool and Manchester United are probably the least affected with this January-February cup. The Reds' will only have Mohamed Sissoko and reserve team player Nabil El-Zhar departing for Ghana. Sissoko is on the fringes of Liverpool's first team, and is probably the fifth-choice midfielder now, behind the likes of Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva. He lacks the ball-playing skill and creative flair, so should not be missed at all. Reserve team winger Nabil El-Zhar should not be missed from the first-team, probably the reserve?
Haha... Manchester United, on the other hand, only has new signing Manucho from Angola departing for Ghana, so should not be missed as he is one for the future.
So as you can see, Arsenal and Chelsea have the most missed in some vital positions, and could have possibly drop some points in a few games. With Liverpool almost missing virtually no one,
yes, including Sissoko, they could have gotten a run of wins to lift themselves up and possibly close the gap. But after being able to draw with Manchester City and Wigan Athletic, this wouldn't have made a different to Liverpool's title ambitions anymore. Now, probably only Manchester United might benefit from this.
P.S. Ivory Coast's squad looks great to win the African Cup of Nations, with Drogba and Kalou spearheading the attack and Toure and Eboue marshalling the defence. Not bad at all.
First week of school and there's so much homework already.
Bye~!
my thoughts at 6:56 pm