CHRISTIAN BENTEKE BECAME Liverpool’s second most expensive striker ever on Wednesday when he finally put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Anfield club.
Liverpool’s problems in front of goal last season were well documented. Brendan Rodgers’ side managed just 52 Premier League goals, just over half their tally from the previous campaign and the lowest amount of any of the top seven teams. Rodgers made signing a reliable goalscorer his top priority and Benteke quickly emerged as his number one target.
While Rodgers will be undoubtedly pleased to get his man, there has been a mixed reaction from the Liverpool fans. They believe the move bears similarities to the signing of Andy Carroll on deadline day in 2011. The club had lost their prized asset Fernando Torres to rivals Chelsea, similar to the current situation with Raheem Sterling, and needed to move quickly to replace him. They moved hastily to secure the then 22-year-old Carroll from Newcastle, who turned out to be a complete flop. Rodgers believed Carroll didn’t fit into his sides new style of play and shipped him off to West Ham. The perceived similarities in Benteke’s game has led to his move being labelled a big ‘gamble’ for Rodgers.
Have these Liverpool fans reason to worry or should they be more optimistic about their latest arrival? Let’s look more closely at what Benteke brings to the table.
Hold-up play
Carroll and Benteke are both devastating in the air and both have the ability to bully opposition defenders. This was painfully clear for Liverpool fans when Benteke proved to be a nightmare for Martin Skrtel in the FA Cup semi-final. But the two are different stylistically in a number of ways.
The biggest reason why Andy Carroll failed to adapt to Liverpool’s style of play was because he lacked the pace and movement. Christian Benteke has no such problems. We’ve seen him run the channels time and time again. At Villa and with Belgium, he has shown off his ability to hold-up play, look for midfield runs and link up with short, sharp pass interchanges.
This has not gone unnoticed by Rodgers and is probably a key factor in the Northern Irishman’s decision to pursue Benteke. One thing Liverpool aren’t lacking is fast-paced attacking options. Players like Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Jordon Ibe and Daniel Sturridge will relish the opportunity to play with a man that can effectively hold up the ball and create opening for them to run into.
Aerial ability
A lot of Benteke’s other qualities are often overlooked because there are so few strikers, or players for that matter, that offer the aerial quality he does. No striker won more aerial duels than Benteke (187) last season and since he debuted in England, no player has scored more headers (13).
The point has been made over and over again that Tim Sherwood made Benteke the focal point of his attack and that’s why he was successful. This can’t be overlooked as the changes Sherwood made led to 11 goals in the 12 games, from just 23 shots. While this style of play undoubtedly suited the Belgian, it doesn’t mean he can’t adapt to suit other systems of play. He still managed 37 goals in 84 games under Paul Lambert.
It isn’t unfair to Aston Villa to say Liverpool possess greater creativity and industry from their midfield. While Sherwood’s side relied heavily on counter-attack play, Rodgers must believe Benteke can thrive from better quality and accuracy rather than quantity and volume.
Aside from that, Benteke provides a welcome threat from set-pieces. Liverpool were deadly in 2013/14 with 26 goals from dead-ball situations but managed just six goals last season.
A ‘Plan B’
Commentators frequently remind us that a title-winning team needs to have a ‘Plan B’. By this, they mean the ability to change their style to a more direct approach. Liverpool’s main strikers this year are likely to be Benteke, Danny Ings, Divock Origi and Sturridge and apart from Benteke, the others have a very similar skill set.
While this has proven to be an effective strategy in the past, it’s fair to say Liverpool were found out last season and were way too one-dimensional in their approach. This was evident in Europe, where they were bullied by bigger, more physical sides. Will Benteke’s arrival signify a change in approach?
That is the big question for a lot of fans. How exactly will this affect how Rodgers intends on playing this season? He arrived from Swansea with a philosophy of intricate passing football. He adapted a more direct style to take advantage of the pace of Suarez, Sterling and Sturridge in 2014. Last season, he returned to a possession based game and Liverpool struggled. What now for 2015/16? Benteke offers them their ‘Plan B’ but we will have to wait and see how he is used by Rodgers.
Yes, he can make runs in behind and link up with midfielders. Yes, he is a superior player to Rickie Lambert, Andy Carroll and Mario Balotelli. But — he is not Luis Suarez. For large parts of last season Rodgers played Lambert or Balotelli as a lone striker, starved of support and expected them to fulfill the role of an all-action player like Suarez. Benteke is more capable than his predecessors to perform up-top alone but adjustments will still need to be made.
Liverpool need to be more direct. Nathaniel Clyne delivered more crosses than any other right back in the league last season. His signing may indicate that Rodgers recognizes that his full backs need to play balls into box earlier this season, instead of looking to retain possession and find a midfield player.
A ‘gamble’ worth taking
Much has been made of Liverpool’s lack of crosses into the box — no side averaged fewer per game last season (17) — but that now must change. Daniel Sturridge will remain Rodgers’ first choice because he suits Liverpool’s style but he will miss the start of the season. Now is the opportunity for Rodgers’ to introduce more versatility into the Liverpool attack. They have players like Coutinho, Firmino, Clyne, Milner and Henderson that can provide quality ball into the box and it would be madness not to make the most of it.
Let’s not forget that only Suarez, Sergio Aguero and Robin Van Persie have scored more goals in the Premier League since Benteke arrived in England, which is a remarkable feat given that he has spent the last three seasons battling to avoid relegation with Aston Villa. Only two strikers have scored more goals from outside the box in that time and only three have created more chances.
Given all this, I find it very surprising that there are Liverpool fans that are upset Rodgers didn’t make Carlos Bacca or Solomon Rondon their number one target. Instead, they’ve signed a striker who has consistently scored goals and should now be moving into his peak years.
If Liverpool play to his strengths, the fans have every right to be optimistic about the season ahead.
Do you believe Christian Benteke will a success at Liverpool?