Africa calling for Premier League stars

Monday 9th January 2012 17:36

Toure brothers: Ivory Coast duty

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Could the Premier League player exodus to the Africa Cup of Nations derail your club this month? TEAMtalk guest Michael Graham investigates...

It is that time again when there is an exodus of top talent from the Premier League as eligible players leave these shores to compete in Africa's flagship football extravaganza.

Despite the competition affecting only a handful of clubs this time around, the Africa Cup of Nations has the potential to impact on matters right the way down the table. So which clubs will be counting the days?

Of those with title aspirations, the one sweating the most will be Manchester City as Yaya and Kolo Toure join up with a much-fancied Ivory Coast squad.

City have grown accustomed to dealing with Kolo's absence following his recent lengthy suspension, but it is difficult to see Yaya's all-action powerhouse displays in the centre of midfield being quite so easy to replace.

The absence of the Toures is doubly troublesome for the leaders, considering their main title rivals have no such worries. Manchester United were never in danger of losing players to the tournament, but Tottenham will have breathed a huge sigh of relief at seeing Emmanuel Adebayor's Togo and Benoit Assou-Ekotto's Cameroon fail to qualify.

As the race for Champions League qualification a little further down the table begins to hot up, Chelsea and Arsenal will find themselves disadvantaged by the competition.

Didier Drogba's influence at Stamford Bridge has been on the decline for some time and questions persist over his future with the club, but with Fernando Torres desperately struggling for form and goals, the Ivorian will surely be a big miss for Andres Villas-Boas.

Chelsea's attacking options will be further depleted by reported Arsenal target Salomon Kalou following Drogba into the Ivory Coast camp. Meanwhile, the Gunners' already threadbare attack will be served no favours by the absence of Gervinho, although Morocco striker Marouane Chamakh is unlikely to be missed.

Liverpool, on the other hand, will be hoping their summer transfer policy of buying mainly British and taking the added premium on the chin will pay off this month. The Anfield club are completely unaffected by the tournament and will be determined to take advantage of that and establish themselves in a strong position for the run-in.

Perhaps the team worrying most over absentees this month will be Newcastle United. Their bid for Europa qualification looks like being hit hard by the loss of midfield enforcer Chiek Tiote (Ivory Coast) and prolific front-man Demba Ba (Senegal). With goal-shy Leon Best and the willing yet limited Shola Ameobi the next best alternatives, goals will surely be hard to come by, especially considering that Ba's 15 goals this term account for over half of the Magpies' total.

What could prove even more telling is that none of Newcastle's mid-table rivals will be losing players to the tournament. Stoke are completely unaffected, whilst Martin O'Neill's Sunderland revival will be able to gather pace with Benin international Stephane Sessegnon still available to provide the ammunition.

Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham are similarly unaffected and will all be looking to put pressure on Alan Pardew's men, who are currently well positioned to pinch a Europa League spot should one open up further down the league.

The pinch at the bottom looks most likely to be felt by Queens Park Rangers, who have been on a wretched run of late that has seen them drop alarmingly down the table. The Hoops' already creaky defence will be deprived of the services of Armand Traore, whilst Moroccan playmaker Adel Taarabt will also be missing.

Wigan could also be left lamenting the timing of the tournament with their nimble ball-playing midfield being unable to rely upon the sheer physicality of Mohamed Diame to provide the yin to their yang. The Senegal international was a central figure in the recent impressive run but sat out the subsequent defeats against Sunderland and Swindon, so his absence is likely to be keenly felt.

Meanwhile, Blackburn duo Chris Samba and Yakubu will be available to be called upon to continue to play key roles in Rovers' survival bid. Bolton and Wolves are also unaffected.

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Source: http://www.teamtalk.com/premier-league/7420488/Africa-calling-for-Premier-League-stars

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