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Ease Off On Benteke

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Mersey86

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Watching today's game, and the free kicks Atkinson kept giving West Ham about 40 yards out which Payet would swing in to the waiting hordes, I could almost see the commentary team salivating. The one time we did not deal with the free kick effectively, they were all over it with their theme of Liverpool being unable to deal with set pieces. Yes, we've had problems - but today we were fine. Give Payet that many tries against Chelsea/Arsenal/United - he'd have caused issues - but would not have got the same reaction.
What's this got to do with Benteke? Well, we see the same reaction at the other end of the field. Criticising every miss, every poor touch. Benteke was doing OK before Christmas, not great - but OK. Settling in, scoring a handful of important goals - not setting the world alight, but the promise of more to come. Then he won us the game against Leicester, but had that awful miss late one, and the knives were out. He's been pilloried since - even on the BBC unprofessional comments against his contribution. If he's performing poorly, the pressure placed on him from outside has not helped.
Maybe Benteke is not the best suit for our team, certainly we overpaid for him, but he has some great qualities, which are being obscured currently as his confidence and appetite dips. I doubt he is enjoying his time at Anfield right now. While the media has its bandwagons, I can't help wishing that our own fans could avoid taking stances against our own players and looking for every opportunity to corroborate those stances. Firmino and (to some extent) Lovren have proved many wrong this season - and neither case was really surprising - just talented players whose talent came through DESPITE the lack of support. It would be nice for a few to turn it around because the fans showed belief.
 
Good post, @Mersey86. I personally find it hard to like Benteke because even at his best he is not my favorite type of a player – more of a physical menace than a technical and tactical wizard. But there is room in football for all kinds of styles and the only thing that counts is the effectiveness or lack of it.

One thing I'd like to add is that Benteke is a streaky player by nature. He went through long barren spells with Aston Villa and also had spells where he would score in almost every game. And Villa was supposedly the team that played to his strengths, unlike us. So quite separate from the issue of how suitable he is to our style there is a separate issue of simply going through ups and downs – clearly now is a low point as a more confident Benteke would have surely scored in games like yesterday or against lower-tier opposition like Exeter. Klopp is right for not picking him for the first team until he picks up some positive momentum from some easier games. Yesterday he was not too far – there were 3 or 4 moments when just a half-step earlier or a better stretch would have gotten him a goal.
 
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Mersey86 said:
Watching today's game, and the free kicks Atkinson kept giving West Ham about 40 yards out which Payet would swing in to the waiting hordes, I could almost see the commentary team salivating. The one time we did not deal with the free kick effectively, they were all over it with their theme of Liverpool being unable to deal with set pieces. Yes, we've had problems - but today we were fine. Give Payet that many tries against Chelsea/Arsenal/United - he'd have caused issues - but would not have got the same reaction.
What's this got to do with Benteke? Well, we see the same reaction at the other end of the field. Criticising every miss, every poor touch. Benteke was doing OK before Christmas, not great - but OK. Settling in, scoring a handful of important goals - not setting the world alight, but the promise of more to come. Then he won us the game against Leicester, but had that awful miss late one, and the knives were out. He's been pilloried since - even on the BBC unprofessional comments against his contribution. If he's performing poorly, the pressure placed on him from outside has not helped.
Maybe Benteke is not the best suit for our team, certainly we overpaid for him, but he has some great qualities, which are being obscured currently as his confidence and appetite dips. I doubt he is enjoying his time at Anfield right now. While the media has its bandwagons, I can't help wishing that our own fans could avoid taking stances against our own players and looking for every opportunity to corroborate those stances. Firmino and (to some extent) Lovren have proved many wrong this season - and neither case was really surprising - just talented players whose talent came through DESPITE the lack of support. It would be nice for a few to turn it around because the fans showed belief.
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I'd argue that whilst folk are annoyed with Benteke's general play and contribution, what is driving their frustration even more is the fact we've pissed away another £30plus million pounds on a player that we could all see wouldn't fit into our system and play, it was so bleeding obvious. We had no plan.

The pressure placed on him was going to be evident based on his price tag, past record, we have no other fit strikers and the fact Klopp turned down the opportunity to sign him at BVB. But he doesn't help himself by piss poor control, poor lay offs, poor movement etc..... despite the opportunities he's been given
 
JurgenKlopp said:
I'd argue that whilst folk are annoyed with Benteke's general play and contribution, what is driving their frustration even more is the fact we've pissed away another £30plus million pounds on a player that we could all see wouldn't fit into our system and play, it was so bleeding obvious. We had no plan.

The pressure placed on him was going to be evident based on his price tag, past record, we have no other fit strikers and the fact Klopp turned down the opportunity to sign him at BVB. But he doesn't help himself by piss poor control, poor lay offs, poor movement etc..... despite the opportunities he's been given
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Yup, RE the fee it's not his fault mind, but I'm sure he was given a handsome raise coming here and the least he could do is to show some effort and run his ass off in those 20-30 mins cameos. Then we can talk about starting him in crucial BPL matches.

He was poor last night again despite getting decent chances. I think JK's treatment of him is spot on and the fans are right to criticise him based on his performances. I am not sure how we can keep him for next season. A 20m fee and we should cut our losses.
 
KopRed said:
Yup, RE the fee it's not his fault mind, but I'm sure he was given a handsome raise coming here and the least he could do is to show some effort and run his ass off in those 20-30 mins cameos. Then we can talk about starting him in crucial BPL matches.

He was poor last night again despite getting decent chances. I think JK's treatment of him is spot on and the fans are right to criticise him based on his performances. I am not sure how we can keep him for next season. A 20m fee and we should cut our losses.
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Totally agree. Tbf I think we'd do well to get 15-18m for him at the min
 
He's certainly not showing his great qualities at the moment, I think people would be less critical if he worked harder and wasn't rooted to the spot everytime a player was looking to play him in or deliver a quality ball. The service hasn't been great, granted, but he's also played like a player seriously lacking in confidence and intelligence, you don't want that from a player who cost over £30m, and I don't think he should get a reprieve simply because he has raw potential, he has to have the application to go with it and his body language at the moment screams of him shirking it. He chased across the West Ham backline yesterday around the 80 minute mark, like an "oh shit, I'd better pull my finger out here before I get hauled off", he should have been doing that from the first whistle.
 
I think we should approach West Brom about a six month loan swap, Benteke for Berahino
 
It's a shame his 'great qualities' don't include staying onside, passing to teammates in the box for tap ins and clinical finishing to name but 3.
 
mark1975 said:
He's certainly not showing his great qualities at the moment, I think people would be less critical if he worked harder and wasn't rooted to the spot everytime a player was looking to play him in or deliver a quality ball. The service hasn't been great, granted, but he's also played like a player seriously lacking in confidence and intelligence, you don't want that from a player who cost over £30m, and I don't think he should get a reprieve simply because he has raw potential, he has to have the application to go with it and his body language at the moment screams of him shirking it. He chased across the West Ham backline yesterday around the 80 minute mark, like an "oh shit, I'd better pull my finger out here before I get hauled off", he should have been doing that from the first whistle.
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Nail on the head and all that.
 
LEAVE. BENTEKE. ALONE!!!!!


chris_crocker.jpg
 
rurikbird said:
Klopp is right for not picking him for the first team until he picks up some positive momentum from some easier games. Yesterday he was not too far – there were 3 or 4 moments when just a half-step earlier or a better stretch would have gotten him a goal.
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I agree with all that. While well short of his best, he looked a threat and could/should have had a couple of goals. In the second half it was an excellent effort from a half-chance. He should have done better on the follow-up, but you could see what he was trying.
 
Not for me he hasn't, I'm afraid. He's far too statuesque in the box (as elsewhere) and IMO misses too many chances to be called clinical. He can be very dangerous with snap shots when he doesn't have time to think his way out of them, but truly clinical strikers score the "easy" ones too.
 
hmmmmm1 said:
Would happily take that swap for berahino.

2 sharp finishes from him last yesterday
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When we were linked with Ings and Berahino this time last year, there was a comment, perhaps by Macca, that Berahino was the most Sturridge-like player out there. I certainly would be happy enough with a swap, but while Benteke plays for us he's the player I most want to score each game, because there is a lot more to come for him if he can just get the momentum.
 
I get the gist of the OP but it also sounds like a plea for special treatment for a player who, probably decent, is looking like another waste of resources. I get that Liverpool fans must back LFC players but that must never stand in the way of having a good debate about what they see on the field of play.
 
Red Bird said:
I get the gist of the OP but it also sounds like a plea for special treatment for a player who, probably decent, is looking like another waste of resources. I get that Liverpool fans must back LFC players but that must never stand in the way of having a good debate about what they see on the field of play.
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It's SCM. We're gonna debate as to whether we can debate then if we should debate then debate over the debate rather than the subject of the debate.

We can discuss this if you like.
 
The fans have gotten behind limited players like Crouch even with his comical barren run. The fact that Benteke isn't getting much sympathy says more about him than it does the fans (jaded as we are these days).
 
He plays like some aging superstar, who has achieved it all and is lumbering around America or Australia. Not a 25 year old with point to prove at a big club.

He doesn't fit at all and it's been a disastrous signing for both us and Aston Villa. Hopefully some other shite club offers £20M in the summer and we can be rid of him.
 
keniget said:
The fans have gotten behind limited players like Crouch even with his comical barren run. The fact that Benteke isn't getting much sympathy says more about him than it does the fans (jaded as we are these days).
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I don't agree. Crouch was how many years ago? When was the last limited non-scouser to be afforded patience?
 
Fabio said:
Lucas
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That's a good one.

I think a fair few players who struggled to justify their transfer fee have been shown patience. Some have come good (Henderson), whilst others haven't to varying degrees (Lallana, Allen).

Benteke is getting a rough time at the moment because we're so badly short of goals his lack of confidence / quality / whatever is being highlighted all the more. I still think he's not doing himself any favours. Maybe he's not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve or go charging in on the keeper in the hope he might get to the ball first... but then that shit is a two way street.
 
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