Premier League holds its breath to see Torres impact

Ask a Chelsea fan a few weeks ago and they probably would have told you that Fernando Torres is an over-rated, injury prone whinger.

Ask Liverpool fans and they would have almost certainly told you he was one of the most gifted players ever to wear the red shirt and the man to lead Kenny Dalglish's Anfield revolution.

A frantic 24 hours and £50million later and those opinions will almost certainly have reversed.

Reds fans are now quick to write off Torres' abilities, stating that they feel they are better off without him now anyway.

For Blues fans any negativity they had about the former Atletico Madrid forward will have dissipated into the background the moment they saw him holding up a Blue shirt with his name emblazoned on the back.

For the rest of us we are keenly waiting to see how Chelsea will perform with their new striker on board the Champions League betting odds suggest their chances of glory could hinge on his talents.

After a flying start I think it is fair to say things haven't gone so well for Carlo Ancelotti's men in recent weeks, enduring their worst run of league form since 1996 and losing grip not only on their place at the top but even their place in the top four.

They face a crucial month ahead with a two-legged Champions League tie against FC Copenhagen, a FA Cup replay with Everton as well as two crucial league fixtures -starting with Liverpool, of all teams, at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

But following the return from injury of key players in recent weeks their performances have slowly begun to improve.

Add to the mix the feel-good factor stemming from the Torres signing and we could be seeing Chelsea back to their best in the next few weeks, which is bad news for everyone else.