Agree Zaius.
He won't have signed Tiote, an Ivory Coast international who started all their games in the WC, without any intention of playing him. It's obvious IMO that he's been brought in to replace Smith, and the reasons he didn't play yesterday was that he's been training with the team once or twice before the game and that Smith had done nothing in the last two games to deserve being dropped. The fact that Smith was the one who had to make way for Lövenkrands is another sign of Smith having to make way, he could easily have taken off any one from Jonas, Barton, Routledge and Nolan.
EDIT: Regarding Nolan, he was taken off for Ameobi against Man U.