Sport
Is Benteke the target man that Liverpool have been asking for?
Before Liverpool fans bemoan the need for a big target man after the relative failures of Andy Carroll and Rickie Lambert, they should consider that Christian Benteke is one of just six players to score 10 or more in the last three Premier League seasons.
Despite a £32.5 million spend being a little on the expensive side, Rodgers does at least have scope to work with the Belgian international, who will, injury permitting, guarantee Liverpool goals with the right kind of service. And therein is the crux of the issue.
A good old fashioned target man such as the 24-year-old thrives on the right kind of service. 12 goals in his last 13 games is a nod to the sort of excellence Benteke can bring if he is fed properly by his colleagues.
His physicality is astonishing but this is no lumbering giant. Benteke can play a bit too, but his purchase remains an interesting one.
Brendan Rodgers quickly dispensed with Andy Carroll because he didn’t fit the profile that Rodgers saw fit for the Anfield faithful. Benteke should provide a decent upgrade on his contemporary but it does represent a u-turn from Rodgers, desperate to hit the ground running at the start of the campaign.
Indeed, the managers’ activity in the transfer market during this close season has to be applauded.
Given the run of early fixtures, Rodgers is likely to be under the most intense scrutiny, and to that end his purchases need to gel quickly.
Benteke is a confidence player but if he can open his account quickly, the Anfield faithful will adopt him as one of their own, whatever their reservations may be at this point in time.
Make no mistake, the striker frightens defenders who simply cannot handle his mixture of brute strength and goalscoring prowess when in the mood.
It’s worth touching upon his goals for column before the arrival of Tim Sherwood at Aston Villa too. Two goals in 16 games is by no means Premier League class, but to get the best out of the player, the team has to play to his strengths and not the other way around. Simple, no?
Liverpool’s fan base are still to be convinced that a big, burly old school number nine is the answer to their problems and if Rodgers continues to play a style with balls into feet or in behind the defensive line, then Benteke’s potency is moribund to a large extent.
Chelsea never saw the best of Fernando Torres for example, because they rarely played the type of game that he thrived on during his time on Merseyside. The Spaniard was never going to be the new Didier Drogba, yet the Blues insisted on playing a style to suit precisely that type of player.
Here is where Liverpool themselves can learn much.
Benteke is not, and will never be, a Suarez, Sturridge or Sterling and the patrons of The Kop need to understand that. It’s likely that Roberto Firmino will ultimately be fulfilling that type of striking role in any event.
Last season Benteke won three times as many headers as Liverpool’s entire attacking six players so it’s not rocket science to expect a substantial upgrade in crosses from a team had the least of any Premier League side last year.
The times, they are a changin’…..
The Belgian remains some way off of his peak years and can certainly develop his game further under Rodgers’ studious tutelage.
If the manager can tap into what makes Benteke tick, Liverpool will have unleashed a monster…and one who is absolutely capable of finally bringing the glory days back to Anfield.
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