da 888casino： £32.5 million spent and seven goals in 31 appearances in all competitions. Enough said?
da aviator aposta： Well, not quite. Liverpool have done it again and bought another £30m+ player that can’t hit a cow’s arse with a banjo. After Andy Carroll they were hoping for better, as were the ever faithful Liverpool fans, but you know what you can do with hope, don’t you?
Christian Benteke, a Belgium international, signed by Villa from Genk in 2012 for a figure around £7m, made his name almost immediately at Villa Park. On his league debut, he scored and went on scoring and impressing the Villa fans and his manager. Paul Lambert said at the time that Benteke had been “unbelievable.” Around December that year, Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas was reportedly interested in signing Benteke, referring to him as the season’s “surprise package”. 42 goals in over 80 games in the claret and blue finally saw him move to Anfield.
Benteke had many admirers and not just for how many goals he scored, but for the way he scored them, too. Former England striker Michael Owen called him one of the signings of the season in 2012 and posted a tweet saying: ‘I’m seriously impressed with Benteke. What a player.”
So what has happened since joining Liverpool? Clearly, apart from injury, there is a lack of confidence, because in the FA Cup replay against West Ham at Upton Park Benteke had enough chances to bury the Hammers, but fluffed his lines on each occasion.
Yet in October against Chelsea he showed the world that he still had what it takes. Benteke was a super-sub for manager Jurgen Klopp and changed the game in just 26 minutes on the pitch. The Belgian wasn’t fit enough to start at Stamford Bridge, but made a terrific contribution when introduced by his manager in the second half. Despite playing less than half an hour, Benteke showed his worth with one goal, one assist and three aerial duels won. That kind of presence and physicality is what he brings when he is at his best and most dangerous, but it has been sadly lacking in many games this season.
Former Anfield favourite Ian Rush spoke to Sky Sports News: “What he has to do is get in the box, you have to be selfish and score goals. Strikers will be judged on goals, not how many you create, and once you start scoring, you start making them as well. If you get him inside the box more, he’ll get chances because he is a good finisher and I think he can play in the Liverpool system. He just needs a goal.”
And so we now have the debate over whether Benteke is a long term option for Klopp’s revolution at Liverpool. The manager’s patience is waning and after two recent notably poor displays at Upton Park, and a few cameos, the dismal statistics were damning and too often, Benteke, instead of attacking, was on the back foot frequently. It’s a hesitation… ‘a should I – shouldn’t I?’ and by then it’s too late. The chance gone. Klopp recently highlighted his striker’s work-rate and what he wants.
“We need his goals, but I don’t only think about him and goals,” said Klopp. “We are not a team that can play with a striker who scores a goal but is not involved in the game for the other 89 minutes. We need the striker for the other options, too – to work for the other minutes.”
Jamie Carragher believes: “He [Klopp] wants more from him, more movement, but the problem is nobody else in the squad scores goals. It’s Liverpool’s problem how they use him and get the best from him. With a powerful centre-forward you have to get the ball into his feet.”
Although the thought is that Benteke thrives on crosses, this isn’t the case either. Liverpool provide plenty of good, quality crosses to the striker, but it just is not working for him. Is he the scapegoat for a generally poor Liverpool team this season?
Brendan Rodgers defended his purchase in The Guardian: “I think Jürgen will take his time with him,” he said. “In this country, now, everything is very ‘short-termism’, isn’t it? People look at it like, you’ve got to come in, get 20 goals in your first season or you might be deemed a failure. He tried to sign him for Dortmund. He knows he’s a good player.”
So Benteke has a lot to offer any side and, on his day, he’s one of the most feared strikers in the country.
And if he’s motivated in the same way he generally is in the second half of a season, Liverpool fans will soon get to see the real Benteke.
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