Demba is the best option Ba none

Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2013 by The Sun

Demba is the best option Ba none
BEST OPTION ... Demba Ba has been backed to lead Chelsea to Wembley

KEVIN KEEGAN believes Chelsea will book a place in the Capital One Cup final — if Demba Ba starts ahead of Fernando Torres tonight.

The Blues head to Swansea for the second leg of their semi-final clash trailing 2-0 after two Branislav Ivanovic mistakes handed the Welsh side a crucial advantage.

But Keegan is confident the European champions can turn things around at the Liberty Stadium, with in-form Ba leading the charge.

He told SunSport: “Providing Rafa Benitez doesn’t mess around with the side too much, I think they’ve got the quality to win.

“He’s got to play his best players in a tournament which could, if we’re honest, represent their best chance of winning something this season. They can’t win the league now as they’re too far behind.

“If you asked the Chelsea fans, I think they’d definitely prefer to see Ba start up front.

“And for me, Ba seems to have a little more life and threat in him than Torres.

Demba is the best option Ba none
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW ... Torres is under pressure from Ba

“Chelsea are incredibly good away at the moment and Swansea have maybe struggled a little bit at home to get wins this season.

“We’re getting a new brand of football now where some teams are actually enjoying playing away from home more.

“Whether it’s less pressure or it just suits their way of playing, I don’t know.

“The tie is definitely in the balance but I see Chelsea just coming through.”

Torres drew another blank on Sunday as Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard has not found the net since the 8-0 Premier League demolition of Aston Villa on December 23, unlike Ba who has netted three times since joining from Newcastle earlier this month.

And Keegan believes the former Toon man is already proving a real bargain after Chelsea paid just £7.5million to secure his services.

He added: “Ba’s hungry to play and Chelsea have absolutely stolen him. They could play him until the end of the season, sell him in the summer and make money — good money, in fact.

“It’s a good business deal for Chelsea — and you can’t always say that about them.

“He’s just got the edge on Torres at the moment because his confidence is high. He’s a player who’s in form and scoring goals — and has been for a while.

“You get little glimpses of the old Torres, but unfortunately that’s all they’ve been.

“Torres has had a lot of chances this season and hasn’t really grasped it with both hands. In fact, you could argue he’s not even grabbed it with one.”

While even the most loyal Chelsea fans now claim it is time for 28-year-old Torres to go, Keegan is not convinced that Roman Abramovich can afford to cut his losses on the £50million flop.

The former England manager said: “His last six months at Liverpool weren’t any different and I just think the injuries have caught up with him.

“He’s never got back that pace he had, which you wouldn’t lose naturally at his age.

“If Torres was 33, I’d say that was to blame, but he isn’t 33. I’d say that injuries, combined with trying so hard to pick it up and get back to where he was three years ago, have hit him hard.

Demba is the best option Ba none
TOUGH TIMES ... not even a new hair style could help Torres against Arsenal

“When he was in his peak at Liverpool, Torres was the best centre forward playing in England by a mile.

“Only the owner will know what happens next, but Torres will still have two or three years of a very big contract left.

“If he goes back to Spain to rejoin Atletico Madrid, there’s no way they’re going to pay him what he’s getting at Chelsea.

“They don’t pay those sorts of wages there, so I believe, plus lots of things have got to happen for Torres to move.

“I would have thought that Chelsea would have to part-finance a move to most clubs willing to take him, purely because I don’t see him going up from there.

“His form over the last two years won’t make clubs say ‘we’ve got to get him’.

“There may be a club with the belief they can get him back to his old self — and they’ll have a real bargain on their hands if that does happen.

“Don’t forget, he was pretty much the perfect striker and could have fitted into any team in the world a few years ago.”