Christian Benteke

[Kevin D]

I rate Benteke and think he'll get about 20 goals for us next season; I think he's limited, but this league is full of terrible defenders who he'll take for a ride. I also think the price is quite excessive, however that is the well established cost of doing business in this league. I don't think it's possible to overstate how utterly ruinous the 2014 summer transfer window was to our season; if the committee did not got Benteke, their treacherous conduct last year suggests their 2nd choice would have been much worse.

 

I'm pretty satisfied with the signing.

[Mil-ing Around]

Which would you rather, a player who excels at how we play but can also offer a plan B, or a player who excels as a plan B but can also offer something playing how we do?

 

Having seen so many teams park the bus against us and watch us struggle to break them down i would prefer the plan B.

 

Why sign another quick forward when we have Sturridge, Origi, Ings, Firmino, Ibe, Coutinho, Markovic (even Lallana) and we maybe giving a few games for Bobby Adekanye next year too. That's plenty pace and trickery.

 

I'm glad we are making this happen, we have 4 forwards with a variety of skill sets now. We finally have some steel and strength again. He is going to bang goals in and be a handful for many defences and when he isn't, we have plenty other options to change the game.

[Paco]

Lets face it, rodgers cant afford any big gambles this season and with a difficult opening set of fixtures he needs benteke to hit the ground running otherwise he will be out of a job by christmas. Benteke represents the least risky option. Lacazette etc would be coming to a new country, may not speak english etc. We re paying more or less double for benteke because of his settle - ability as someone on here once said.

[zigackly]

Having seen so many teams park the bus against us and watch us struggle to break them down i would prefer the plan B.

 

Why sign another quick forward when we have Sturridge, Origi, Ings, Firmino, Ibe, Coutinho, Markovic (even Lallana) and we maybe giving a few games for Bobby Adekanye next year too. That's plenty pace and trickery.

 

I'm glad we are making this happen, we have 4 forwards with a variety of skill sets now. We finally have some steel and strength again. He is going to bang goals in and be a handful for many defences and when he isn't, we have plenty other options to change the game.

 

That's a fair comment. There's a step up in class between Origi/Ings and Sturridge though, and he's certainly no guarantee.

 

I don't think this is a shit signing, do think we could do better for the money.

[satansmutt]

At least Skrtel won't be having nightmares everytime we play Villa and we should be 6 points better off next season.

 

A lot of people complaining about Benteke but not many are offering up any realistic alternatives, there is a real lack of quality strikers around in world football at the moment that haven't already been bought by Barca,Real or one of the other lucky winners of the oil billionaire lottery.

The only alternative anyone has even mentioned is Lacazette and for all the moaning on here about Ian Ayre and the transfer committee they must have contacted his agent at some point and been told to fuck off.

If Sterling is worth £49m then Benteke is worth at least £32.5m that's the state of the market especially since the improved tv money from last season

[Mil-ing Around]

That's a fair comment. There's a step up in class between Origi/Ings and Sturridge though, and he's certainly no guarantee.

 

I don't think this is a shit signing, do think we could do better for the money.

 

If we had regular Champions league football and were regularly challenging for trophies and the title i would agree with you. Then we could have gone for Lacazette, Rues or other forwards and maybe got them for 40-45 million.

 

Sadly right now we can't and we need a striker and he gives us something we don't have. Comparing him to a 33 year old Lambert or a brainless fuck like Balotelli is fucking dumb. Even people saying we tried the target man with Carroll is borderline crackhead talk. 

 

I agree with you mate that Origi and Ings aren't as good as Sturridge but i think people are obsessed with trying to re-create the 13/14 team and it just isn't going to happen. We need to grow as a team not try and emulate one.

 

We have so many options now and we will score and create loads, just maybe in different ways. Nothing wrong with that. We don't want teams to work us out anyway, we need to be able to change our tactics and the way we attack game by game sometimes.

[Jairzinho]

just a few options. Personally I d replace lucas because he looks shot but not sure gary medel is any better. Hopefully can gets the nod in the pocket. We know he can pass but does he have the discipline to sit.

 

He is. Hope this helps.

[TheHowieLama]

He looked a little laboured for Cardiff - might it be that Chile have a little more class in front of him when he plays for them?

[boomer39]

if we dont finish in the top 4 next season, i will show my arse in lewis`s window.... even fancy us for top spot... ynwa.. you never think negative, you always support lfc, you hate the dungers, you always think positive.. you support your club, you support your life... end of....

[Jennings]

Don't sign Benteke. Save the money for an awesome player. Haven't we learned from the Andy Carroll experience. 

[Dr. J]

Benteke is simply better than Carroll.

 

Mignolet

 

Clyne----Skrtel----Sakho----Moreno

 

Henderson-------Milner-------Lallana

 

Firmino------Benteke------Coutinho

 

Goals in there, and headaches for the opposition.

[El Dangerous]

Bennett has more to his game than just being a target man. Also, last season our strikers were so deep that it caused a lot of problems.

[Razoray]

He looked a little laboured for Cardiff - might it be that Chile have a little more class in front of him when he plays for them?

The few times I saw him with Cardiff he looked as if he had 10 pints and 3 kebabs the night before. Some players suit international football and dont have the discipline to perform week in week out. Why are Inter looking to get rid in his prime for so little?

[Razoray]

Don't sign Benteke. Save the money for an awesome player. Haven't we learned from the Andy Carroll experience.

 

We bought an awesome player the same day

[Jairzinho]

He looked a little laboured for Cardiff - might it be that Chile have a little more class in front of him when he plays for them?

 

I'd like to think we might have a bit more than Cardiff. I think the style clash was possibly too much, whilst I think we play a lot closer to how Chile do. Or we can anyway.

 

Vidal is obviously much better than any of our central midfielders, but Fernandez, Valdivia, Aranguiz, Diaz, Gutierrez, Carmona etc whilst are all obviously more experienced in playing an extremely high tempo technical game, aren't "great" players. There is no reason why Milner, Allen, and Henderson can't do something similar. They have the work rate, and none of them are poor technically. Medel would compliment it nicely.

 

I think this could actually work - 

 

Medel

Henderson Coutinho

 

Milner or Allen could also play Henderson's role.

[Jairzinho]

The few times I saw him with Cardiff he looked as if he had 10 pints and 3 kebabs the night before. Some players suit international football and dont have the discipline to perform week in week out. Why are Inter looking to get rid in his prime for so little?

 

Because they've just bought Kondogbia.

[JermainePennant]

Again, not what I'd have done, but I'll be interested to see how it all pans out. One thing I am a bit concerned about is the possible ramifications for Origi and Ings. They need minutes to find their groove here and develop themselves, and at face value they are more suited to our style than Benteke, so I hope they don't fade away.

If we had got another striker who's game was based on getting on the end of through balls and played on the defenders shoulder that would not have been good news for Ings or Origi.I could only see us playing with one forward if that had happened unless we saw Ings as the player to build our attack around as he is the only one who's played behind a striker at times, I don't think that would have happened.

 

Benteke can partner any of the strikers we have and they will benefit from playing alongside him as he will occupy defenders and create space.

[TheHowieLama]

 

 

Medel

Henderson Coutinho

 

 

 

 

This is the trick for me - getting Coutinho in a side with three ahead of him would make us far more dangerous. I dont think Milner would have come, or we'd have paid him, if he is to be an extra hand.

 

Think if we are going to see Coutinho there it will be with Milner and Henderson.

 

I would have no problem ditching both Lucas and Allen and trying Medel. 

[Strontium]

We have gone to market, sold the family cow at a healthy profit, and spunked the proceeds on some magic beans.

[Hades]

You know full well that's what is going to happen. Benteke will get about 11 goals and we'll finish 6th. Then will come the beyond robust review with two of the tea ladies being out on their arse. Before we spunk another £100m on eight squad players.

 

Or we somehow fluke a top 4 finish, the hand-rubbing perverts at the club pat themselves on the back and we go out and spunk £100M on eight squad players for the following season's Champions League.

[J-V]

Benteke is simply better than Carroll.

 

Mignolet

 

Clyne----Skrtel----Sakho----Moreno

 

Henderson-------Milner-------Lallana

 

Firmino------Benteke------Coutinho

 

Goals in there, and headaches for the opposition.

 

Dump Lallana get someone who will sit in the centre with Milner moved over and that's the best we can hope for.

[A_S]

Benteke is closer to being a 1-in-2 than Carroll is to being a 1-in-4, so unless Villa have hoofed/crossed it in twice as much as Kenny's Liverpool and Allardyce's West Ham (!!), then the most crucial aspect of their respective records is incomparable.

 

So why does Carroll keep getting mentioned?

[J-V]

Maybe we should compare him to Yakubu.  Sure I read he had a 1 in 2 strike rate for a 3/4 Seasons.

[Curly]

With the Sceptical Dicks as warm-up.

 

Iceman, why don't you just fuck off?

 

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

Watch a few of Benteke's goals.

 

For example, his goal where he waltzed through our midfield and defence then slammed it past Reina.

 

Or his well placed finish in the semi against us. Or his link up play in the build up play to Delph's goal against us in the same game.

 

Or, a goal he got against Palace where he chased the full back right back to the half way line, won the ball back, ran with it to the edge of the box and passed it in to the bottom corner.

 

He's capable of scoring headed/target man goals, but he's also capable of scoring other goals. There was one game against United when he linked up brilliantly with the midfield, ran into the channels, put the challenging defender on his arse with his strength and pulled it back to the edge of the box for an oncoming midfielder to score.

 

Im still unconvinced and think there are other available and potentially better options available.

 

However, Benteke's definitely not a target man, reliant on crosses alone. He's definitely not in the Carroll, Lambert, Kevin Davies mould. He strikes me as more of a powerful, mobile, dynamic attacker in the Drogba, Costa, Lukaku mould.

 

I think people are still hoping for a Suarez replacement to come in. It's not going to happen. He's largely irreplaceable. That people are considering different options (albeit not a target man) should be applauded, if not, at least not written off at this early stage.

 

I'm actually coming more round to thinking it could be a good signing.