Will West Ham be the ones singing Carrolls come Christmas?

Andy Carroll is continually and unfairly criticised, with his £35million price tag held to his neck like an executioner’s axe. However, the six-foot-three brute emphasised his rare ability to dominate a football game on his West Ham United debut, after he moved from Liverpool on loan, yes on loan, until the end of the season.

The rugged front-man created two goals and countless more opportunities on his first start for his new team as they beat Fulham 3-0 on Saturday.

Reckon his previous employers are already rueing the decision to let him go?

Carroll is a physical specimen. He is unstoppable in the air; he is mobile, freakishly strong and possesses power in his left foot akin to Thor’s hammer.

But Carroll’s style of play has become unfashionable and that’s why Liverpool’s new boss Brendan Rodgers couldn’t wait to get rid of him. He is a classical, direct, English centre-forward – head it and hold it up, but the old school frontman has become undesirable, with the fresh notion of trying to pass teams in to submission.

The truth is though; Andy Carroll is incredibly difficult to stop. He is a physical mis-match for anyone, much the same as Didier Drogba, although he’s obviously not quite on the Ivorian’s level. If you have the mid-field players that can make runs in to the box and play off of Carroll’s hold up play then you are going to create chances and most importanly… score goals.

West Ham are clearly able and most importantly willing to utilise his aerial talent. Sam Allardyce realises the potential havoc that a high ball to his new centre forward can cause and this is an important part of football. Possession football is necessary and is hugely pleasing to watch, but it needs to be balanced. After all so many more goals are scored from a long ball and a defensive error or a knock down, than a 73 pass move that’s completed by a player dribbling past a dizzy goalkeeper and sticking the ball in the onion bag from half an inch.

The bottom line is football is about scoring more goals than the other team, not about who has the most possession. Allardyce knows this and the arrival of Andy Carroll is somewhat of a coup for the club and if he stays fit, or regains his fitness as the case may be, he could be the key to avoiding relegation.

In stark contrast, Liverpool now find themselves malnourished for striking options.

Luis Suarez is a fine footballer but he has often found himself isolated up front and he isn’t suited to holding the ball up and bringing others in to the game. Suarez is at his best when he’s running at defenders with his mesmeric dribbling and when darting in behind defenders and latching on to through balls. NOT with his back to goal on the half-way-line with a defender glued to his back-side. Also, heaven forbid, what if he gets injured? Or suspended?

Liverpool struggled to create anything against Arsenal as they were beaten 2-0 on Sunday. Their attacks lacked direction and decisiveness. Fabio Borini was a non-factor, Gerrard wasn’t at his imperious best and Nuri Sahin was similarly ineffective.
Liverpool couldn’t change the game, and once they went 1-0 down, it was incredibly difficult to see them getting back in to the contest because they are bereft of game-changers and have very little attacking prowess on the bench. Stewart Downing was introduced to try and ignite the Reds, but solely based on last season where he failed to score or create a single goal last season – if he’s the answer, then there’s huge concern over what is the question.

Brendan Rodgers made it clear as soon as he arrived at Anfield that Carroll was an out-cast, he didn’t fit the model that he was trying to create and therefore, he wanted Carroll out of the team.

The Reds’ gaffer didn’t expect it to be a one-way deal however. Rodgers has recently conceded that he was happy to let Carroll go on the premise that a new attacking player would be brought in. This didn’t happen. Liverpool’s move for Clint Dempsey broke down and the swirling winds of transfer dealings ceased as the window was slammed shut. Club owner has since insisted Liverpool will not be dragged in to wreckless spending on transfers.

Can anything be done immediately to bridge the gap between the top clubs before it extends beyond reach? There’s still the option of acquiring a free-agent.

Is Michael Owen the answer? I’m not sure. There’s little doubt he still has plenty to give as a Premier League striker and he would add depth and quality to Liverpool’s attacking options, but what they really need is a focal point – a centre-piece of which to play around.

Didier Drogba’s current contract situation is unclear but if he becomes available, the Reds should snap him up immediately. Drogba was sensational last season and he certainly still has at least another two years as an elite striker in him. His style of play would also satisfy Liverpool’s needs. He’s powerful, fast and superb in the air. Most importantly, he holds the ball up tremendously well, which would enable Liverpool’s other creative players to work around him. Luis Suarez would thrive playing with Drogba, as would the hugely impressive 17 year-old Raheem Sterling.

Liverpool are piecing together a talented team but have made a mistake in letting Carroll go. If the club fails to conduct any business in the free-agent market, I fear that by the time the transfer window opens again, Liverpool will be too far adrift of the top four to be able to make changes to the squad in order secure the Champions League football that they so desperately desire.