Christian Benteke

[Chazza]

I disagree. When you have so many new players it takes times for people to find their feet. Unless it's Lovren of course

Time shall not be afforded this is the premier league generation.

[danperkins]

I disagree. When you have so many new players it takes times for people to find their feet. Unless it's Lovren of course

The conversation is not about anyone else but Benteke though is it? He is not young, he is not new to the league, has scored lots of goals in the league & is our marquee signing. For £32 million quid you can guarantee that we will fully expect him hit the ground running. You think Chelsea bought Torres and said ah sure we'll give him a season to bed in?

I doubt very much any club that spends that much money on an experienced goal scorer that knows the league & don't really expect much out of him this season. He's a quality player, I fully expect him to start scoring goals asap, once he gets the proper amount of service.

[Cormack74]

Well I saw the whole game and too often he was stood rather impassively between the opposing central defenders rather than closing down, harassing and generally making himself a "presence". Too often they could pass it about without worry, whereas Suarez would have been on their case start to finish.

MOTD can pick and chose and they decided to make Benteke look better than was the case by highlighting good bits and none of the bad.

Well if you say so but its' never struck me as the sort of programme to have an agenda but I'll bear it in mind next time they're highlighting what a player has or hasn't done in a game.

[DannyMan2006]

Well I saw the whole game and too often he was stood rather impassively between the opposing central defenders rather than closing down, harassing and generally making himself a "presence". Too often they could pass it about without worry, whereas Suarez would have been on their case start to finish.

MOTD can pick and chose and they decided to make Benteke look better than was the case by highlighting good bits and none of the bad.

I hope the fact he didn't close down is because if he did, he'd have run out of steam due to not yet being at full fitness. Hopefully by game 6, he'll show a bit more gusto.

And on the five touches thing, he was very nearly in for three goals. A pass threaded through, a cross by Hendo and a chance on the spin. Again, by game 6 here's hoping he clicks better with the other lot.

[DannyMan2006]

The conversation is not about anyone else but Benteke though is it? He is not young, he is not new to the league, has scored lots of goals in the league & is our marquee signing. For £32 million quid you can guarantee that we will fully expect him hit the ground running. You think Chelsea bought Torres and said ah sure we'll give him a season to bed in?

I doubt very much any club that spends that much money on an experienced goal scorer that knows the league & don't really expect much out of him this season. He's a quality player, I fully expect him to start scoring goals asap, once he gets the proper amount of service.

He definitely has to start banging them in. But I'll give him until his tenth game before I start babbling on about how it was a failed signing etc. by then I hope he's linking better with the team, at full fitness and supported better by someone like Firmino, and later on in the season someone like Studge.

[danperkins]

He definitely has to start banging them in. But I'll give him until his tenth game before I start babbling on about how it was a failed signing etc. by then I hope he's linking better with the team, at full fitness and supported better by someone like Firmino, and later on in the season someone like Studge.

i'm fairly confident that when we find our shape and everyone is fit..we'll see Benteke banging in a few goals.

[Boogs]

The conversation is not about anyone else but Benteke though is it? He is not young, he is not new to the league, has scored lots of goals in the league & is our marquee signing. For £32 million quid you can guarantee that we will fully expect him hit the ground running. You think Chelsea bought Torres and said ah sure we'll give him a season to bed in?

I doubt very much any club that spends that much money on an experienced goal scorer that knows the league & don't really expect much out of him this season. He's a quality player, I fully expect him to start scoring goals asap, once he gets the proper amount of service.

He scored
10 goals in season 13-14
13 goals in season 14-15 hardly as prolific as Torres was for us even though the last two seasons he was no where near as good.
He is only 24 which I think is still youngish for a striker.
32 mil for a striker is an obscene amount of money but people on here were prepared to give Andy Carol longer to bed in than Big Chris.

[danperkins]

He scored
10 goals in season 13-14
13 goals in season 14-15 hardly as prolific as Torres was for us even though the last two seasons he was no where near as good.
He is only 24 which I think is still youngish for a striker.
32 mil for a striker is an obscene amount of money but people on here were prepared to give Andy Carol longer to bed in than Big Chris.

He's had injury problems but his goals to games ratio is up there with the best. Andy Carroll had a good 6 months, that's it. I'm not comparing Torres to Benteke or Carroll to Benteke, merely saying that any team that spends huge money and makes a marquee signing... want that signing to hit the ground running. Benteke although the money was ridiculous, but he is a well established premier league striker. We can't afford another Andy Carroll type failure.

2012-13: 23 Goals 8 Assists
2013-14: 13 Goals 3 Assists
2014-15: 15 Goals 3 Assists

From the start of the 2013 season to around April 2014 he had a nightmare with injuries. No doubts those stats would be a hell of alot more impressive. He will be 25 in few months and has 3 years in the premier league & played for his country 20 odd times. I would be surprised if anyone on this site alone would be happy to give him until next season to bed in.

He is our marquee signing, he was brought in to score goals this season with Sturridge being injured & there is a definite expectation to perform this season and hit the ground running.

[baitman]

Give him 4 or 5 games to get into his stride, he was so isolated vs Stoke that playing that lone role when he is clearly not match sharp... is a tough ask. But more to the point, the guy needs service. Not much he can do if nothing is coming up to him, the few that did were 70 yard long balls from Mig. If we can find a formation and stick to it, get our best team and everyone fit and firing... that is when i'll judge Benteke.

sorry Dan, but thats just rubbish.

when has mig ever managed to kick a ball 70 yards.

[danperkins]

sorry Dan, but thats just rubbish.

when has mig ever managed to kick a ball 70 yards.

touché

[frank the tank]

for me, we shouldn't be quick to criticise Benteke. He should get ****e if he just decides that he is going to pull up the handbrake and take his wages every week - which he is not going to do as he is an ambitious lad who wants to go places in the game....

The fans reservations on his signing have been based on his style of play - and whether or not he will fit into LFC's style of play. For me, Benteke didn't ask LFC to sign him, it was Brendan (and maybe the committee or whatever) that looked to sign Benteke. If he fails, then it is because LFC bought the wrong player and looked to get him to play a way that he is not suited to. In the same way that Lambert and Balotelli were put in the team...

So although Benteke will be under pressure, it won't be any more so that if he cost £15m. The real pressure is on Brendan and the management team - because they convinced the owners that he would be suited to LFC.....that he was the man to get.

Personally, i think he will do pretty well at Liverpool. If it was a Rafa-led team then i would be very excited because rafa would set up a 4-2-3-1 with 3 players playing behind Benteke.....and he would make Benteke a very effective player - in the same way he did with Torres and with people like Mista at Valencia. Under Brendan, i think Benteke will have to tweak his game a little bit but in reality there will be lots of chances created at Liverpool and one of Bentekes main jobs will be to take as much of those chances as possible. People say he is a big man who you can hit it long to - and that is an outlet that is now open to us in certain situations. But benteke is much more than that - he is a very good finisher, and his link up play is pretty good as well.

I really look forward to seeing Coutinho with the ball at his feet - with a front 3 of Firmino, Sturridge and Benteke all making runs and creating space in front....

[The_weatherman]

I am trying to stay positive about Benteke and hopefully he'll come good, but I'd rather have paid 12 million for Rondon than 32.5 for Benteke.

[ronanm]

Maybe I am missing something, but it's one game into his competitive Liverpool career isn't it?

[Assassin]

Maybe I am missing something, but it's one game into his competitive Liverpool career isn't it?

This

In addition to all of the other positive things mentioned about Benteke. He has power and abilty to stretch the opposition defence all over the place, thus creating space. Something we have sorely missed. Too many times last season our creative players were nullified as they were running into a myriad of blind alleys. He will score goals and his presence will create scoring opportunities for others

[RichC]

Maybe I am missing something, but it's one game into his competitive Liverpool career isn't it?

You are, remember if it's not a world class scintillating performance on the first game of the season we should be selling