No mate I'm not being harsh, I personally rate the kid a lot and think he'll end up being a decent player. Tonights game though was a funny one, in many respects it had the look of a practice match or a testimonial about it, and as such the midfielders of both teams were able to play unencumbered by overly officious closing down from the opposition. If I felt there was a good chance that Tex would go to the replay in East London and have a significant impact on the outcome of the game I would agree with you that now is the time to throw him in, but to be totally honest I don't.
He was the player that had the most significant impact tonight drawing two good saves out of their keeper and laying on two chances, also nearly put Benteke through 1v1. I'm not sure how much influence you want a lad just breaking into the first team to have, especially after the injuries he's suffered.
I'm afraid that there, were we to play a similar team to the one we played tonight we would get brushed aside with considerable ease. Not unlike how we got brushed aside against them twice in the league, both times with the "senior players in the team" I hear you say, but I do think there's a gap that Tex has yet to breach if he's to break through at the top level. Your Benteke comments are obviously a bit tongue in cheek but irrelevant and little bit silly to be honest, as he's demonstrated on many an occasion that he CAN actually do it, the connundrum in his case is why he can't any more.
Not tongue in cheek at all, look at the impact he made tonight. You're being harsh on a lad breaking into the first team and allowing a lot of excuses for one that should be doing so much more. Check out the number of headers he ran underneath, check out the number of chances he simply ran further and further to the back post. To the point some were saying he was hiding, I don't think that I just think it's his natural instinct that he has to break from. A striker should always look to get in front of the defender otherwise it's the pass doing the work not the striker. As for his attempt to score on either the quality pass by Branners or the far post that he put out for a throw in they were shocking, yet he gets the "low on confidence bye". Well if he was contributing elsewhere I might buy that but he isn't so no he was woeful once again. As for you suggesting he has shown he CAN do things, no he has only shown he CAN score the occasional great goal, but he is far and away from a great goal scorer and has shown enormous amounts of times that he is way below the level we need so far this season.
As for the conundrum of why he can't do any more, go and watch the first 3 minutes of the game again, you keep saying we should whip in crosses we got 4 inside the first 3 minutes that all had quality about them yet Benteke is nowhere to be found. His ability to read the flight of the ball is horrific which can be witnessed again by how he competes for headers, running underneath them time and time again. So the conundrum is for Benteke to solve in his own game play and enough of the "we should get more out of him" because I'm afraid that's just a path that will lead us to complete failure.
It may well be with Tex that he eventually makes it at a top team. He's certainly a far better footballer than Pacheco, Suso or any of that ilk, but my hunch is it'll be at a Norwich or a Derby where he has his formative years. If he's going to break through at the top it'll be in 2/3 years time IMHO, not now. My guess is though if I was putting my neck on the block is that his lack of physicality will eventually mean he's more a Wes Hoolihan than he is a David Silva.
I think he might not make it but judging one of his first 90 minute displays for us in the manner some have saying he's too lightweight etc etc when he put in the most influential performance of all our outfield players is beyond harsh. Go judge Ibe who lost the ball on almost every occasion he touched it or giving Benteke excuses like it's our fault or excusing Lovren missing a clear header that could have cost us going out. Nah not fair at all Mick I think the lad deserves the chance, nowhere am I saying he will be the next Silva, I very much doubt he will make it even in the same ball park as him but when our first team is devoid of actual quality there is certainly space to give this kid a chance after the display he gave today, that's my point.
As for the lightweight comments, he won the ball back a good few times today, won us free-kicks in and around the box on numerous occasions and still managed to out muscle people like Kouyate and Reid who were both boiling over with frustration, so I thought for those reasons he played well.
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