Is Benteke good enough?

[redhorizon2]

He has shown he can score goals, he has scored 7 this season. He has shown he can unnerve opponents when he comes on and offers us an aerial threat, but he can be seen as being lazy with his lack of movement. Now should Klopp play a style that would make most of Benteke? After all, he did cost £32m and was averaging 1 goal every other game.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Just going through his performances in the league myself.

He's scored 6 goals, 3 of them from the bench in 12 starts(986 minutes), or 1 goal every 328 minutes.

From the bench, he's got 3 goals too, in 181 minutes, or 1 goal every 60 minutes. He's also got 3 assists. So he's either scoring or assisting every 30 minutes when he comes from the bench.

Only once has he scored where we lost(United). And two other occasions were the goals/assists basically meaningless(City and Chelsea).

That record from the bench is pretty damn impressive.

 

[rurikbird]

Benchteke

 

[mom]

Play him or sell him. Utd were there for the taking today and we were toothless up front. If Klopp doesn't rate him, sell him. And reinvest the funds elsewhere

 

[Glen C]

SELL SELL SELL!!!

 

[Nir.Barak]

Play him or sell him. Utd were there for the taking today and we were toothless up front. If Klopp doesn't rate him, sell him. And reinvest the funds elsewhere

Yep. No such thing as not playing a striker. we might as well not show up for games

 

[Ossi]

We should sell him asap. He'd be our 3rd or 4th choice striker when/if everyone's fit. He is not the way forward for us, it would be a waste of time to adopt the style to suit him in the long run.

 

[Judge Jules]

I wouldn't go as far as a.s.a.p - we're really short of options and he has scored a couple of winning goals - but, depending to some extent on what offers we get, I'll be a bit surprised if he's still here at the start of next season.

 

[mom]

Talk sport were saying this morning that Klopp has been quoted as saying that he has a future here and that he's viewed as being the complete striker. Make of that what you will folks.

 

[Buddha]

Talk sport were saying this morning that Klopp has been quoted as saying that he has a future here and that he's viewed as being the complete striker. Make of that what you will folks.

I read that too. Tbh, what else can Klopp say to get the best out of him for the rest of season and potentially protect some resale value?

I still think he'll be gone in the summer for 20m odd.

 

[manwithnoname]

I read that too. Tbh, what else can Klopp say to get the best out of him for the rest of season and potentially protect some resale value?

I still think he'll be gone in the summer for 20m odd.

Klopp said similar things on a regular basis about Mignolet, and lots of people convinced themselves that he didn't really mean it, and it was simply masterful psychological trickery and genius motivation until he could buy a new keeper. Then he gave him a 5 year contract extension

 

[mom]

Yeh I was thinking that but then he said the same about Ming, many hoped it was a bluff, and now he has a shiny new contract. Added to that are the rumours that he targeted him before he joined us...
I think you're right in that he's trying to get the best out of him, and yes that will protect his resale, but I get the feeling that Klopp is more hoping Benteke and the team can start to knit and if so, he'll keep him for at least another season.

 

[Judge Jules]

Talk sport were saying this morning that Klopp has been quoted as saying that he has a future here and that he's viewed as being the complete striker. Make of that what you will folks.

I half-heard that too. The impression I got though was that Klopp added a proviso that Benteke has to keep working at his game to achieve such status.

 

[manwithnoname]

Yeh I was thinking that but then he said the same about Ming, many hoped it was a bluff, and now he has a shiny new contract. Added to that are the rumours that he targeted him before he joined us...
I think you're right in that he's trying to get the best out of him, and yes that will protect his resale, but I get the feeling that Klopp is more hoping Benteke and the team can start to knit and if so, he'll keep him for at least another season.

I suppose the obvious difference is that he's dropped Benteke and kept him on the bench for lots of big games, which hardly suggests he's hugely confident in him.
Mignolet has no competition at all.

 

[Judge Jules]

Yeh I was thinking that but then he said the same about Ming, many hoped it was a bluff, and now he has a shiny new contract. Added to that are the rumours that he targeted him before he joined us...
I think you're right in that he's trying to get the best out of him, and yes that will protect his resale, but I get the feeling that Klopp is more hoping Benteke and the team can start to knit and if so, he'll keep him for at least another season.

What I read about Klopp's previous interest in Benteke was that he ultimately decided against the signing because Benteke wasn't mobile enough. That would chime in with how things have gone here so far.

 

[Ossi]

One thing is certain: his goal gesture is very...odd. Wtf is it about! Clapping your knees.

 

[cloggypop]

I read he couldn't afford him.

 

[Silver Sean]

In answer to the thread title question: No
Why is this thread still going?

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Why is this thread still going?

Because we have spent 30 odd million on him, and we currently have a host of strikers out injured. So we need to find a way to use him, or make sure we sell him for a decent amount.

 

[gkmacca]

He also needs to find a way for us to use him. Too many strikers are way too passive these days. If things don't click straight away, they just seem to wait for the manager/coach to rebuild the team around him. He's got to show much more fight and imagination and initiative. It needs to be a collaboration.

 

[mark1975]

Klopp said similar things on a regular basis about Mignolet, and lots of people convinced themselves that he didn't really mean it, and it was simply masterful psychological trickery and genius motivation until he could buy a new keeper. Then he gave him a 5 year contract extension

True. I guess the difference is that he's been playing Mignolet all along. He's labelled Benteke the complete striker yet won't play him in a team that can't buy a goal, so..

EDIT, I just saw your post saying the same.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

One thing is certain: his goal gesture is very...odd. Wtf is it about! Clapping your knees.

The "Silencer" celebration by Lebron James. Supposed to be like this:

 

[localny]

Benchteke

Brilliant.

I say with those stats, he deserves a chance and time to prove himself. He's no Torres, but he's going to bag a lot of goals for us

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Lewandowski had 8 goals in 33 league games (1,572 minutes) for Dortmund in his first season there - a goal every 196.5 minutes.
Benteke has 6 goals in 19 league games (1,174 minutes) for Liverpool in his first season here - a goal every 195.6 minutes.

Bendownski.

 

[KopRed]

The "Silencer" celebration by Lebron James. Supposed to be like this:

That explains it. He might just be better at basketball than football.

 

[Silver Sean]

Because we have spent 30 odd million on him, and we currently have a host of strikers out injured. So we need to find a way to use him, or make sure we sell him for a decent amount.

I know. I'm just being facetious as I'm not sure how else to take this 'team'. Least likeable squad in living memory. For many reasons.

 

[tomasjj]

He is good enough, but as many said when the signing became a possibility, does he fit into our style?
He doesn't.

 

[Glen C]

He is good enough, but as many said when the signing became a possibility, does he fit into our style?
He doesn't.

Doesn't that mean then that's he's NOT good enough?

 

[tomasjj]

Doesn't that mean then that's he's NOT good enough?

In the context of our team yeah, unless we want to completely change our set up.

It is easier to shift him than to completely rebuild our squad to set up the team in that way.

 

[Glen C]

In the context of our team yeah, unless we want to completely change our set up.

It is easier to shift him than to completely rebuild our squad to set up the team in that way.

What I find the most frustrating is that everyone could see that benteke wasn't the right fit for us. So what the fuck was Rodgers thinking?