Christian Benteke Player Thread (Liverpool -> Crystal Palace)

Just said that it was surprising, that's all.  I remember several times where he dropped back in midfield to get on to one of the kicks from Mignolet and he didn't get anywhere near the ball.

And 64%, is that.... good?  Is 64% "aerial beast" territory?  I would have thought you would need to be upwards of 90% for that....

64% against one of the tallest central defence in the league.

Yeah that's not bad at all actually.

Thought he did ok considering the scraps he had to work with and everyone's still learning how to get the best out of him. 

At least he wanted the ball and kept the defenders occupied.

Agree, don't think he's a 20+ a season striker either. He doesn't create enough chances for himself to be that, but also agree with AZ that in the way we played in the first 65 mins today any striker would struggle.

Yeah i agree mate. I guess we have been spoiled over the years with top strikers.

Id like to see benteke run the channels more ... drag people out.

But at the end of the day its only the first game and its going to take a little while to get the team to gel together and learn eachothers game.

Roll on next week.

The service he got yesterday was average at best, the lad never stopped moving and kept Stokes centre halfs on there toes all day. He took up some excellent positions but wasn't found (Hendo's poor cross after an excellent build up really sticks out).

As for someone above saying the want to see him running the channels more, look at our formation there is a reason you don't want your LONE striker continuously running into the channels and if you don't know the answer you may aswell give up now. He pulled the centre halfs around more than enough without wasting energy up bringing himself into positions on the pitch where THEY want him to be (out wide).

When you take into account that just about everytime he was provided the ball he had at least 2 usually 3 defenders on him, I'd say he had a decent showing. I really felt like we could have played with another striker up top and we'd have scored at least a couple of goals, but I feel like Brendan was wanting to help out his defense and ensure we didn't concede.

And 64%, is that.... good?  Is 64% "aerial beast" territory?  I would have thought you would need to be upwards of 90% for that....

Well, if you take other tall strikers, I'd say the very best in the air are probably around that level. Crouch won 60% of his aerial duels last season. Andy Carroll and Altidore won 61%.

From the very quick and far from scientific check I've done, it seems that top CBs in the air have higher percentages but I haven't found any strikers above that level, really. Defenders do have the advantage in most aerial duels as they're facing the ball so it is not exactly surprising - and even they don't even get close to 90%, which is just an unrealistic and made up number (Mertesacker won 70% of his aerial duels last season).

More numbers from last season: Giroud won 50% of aerial duels. Harry Kane won 26%. Diego Costa 30%. Drogba 49%. Chamakh 32%. Lukaku 34%. Jelavic 37%. Ulloa 34%. Vardy 35%. Balotelli 22%. Dzeko 52%. Falcao 27%. Van Persie 33%. Cisse 22%. Austin 31%. Zamora 32%.  Lambert 43%. Pellè 50%. Diouf 42%. Walters 41%. Graham 39%. Bony 46%. Gomis 33%.

So yeah. I'm not sure but it seems like 64% is actually pretty good.

Benteke had a reasonable debut given what he was asked to work with. Most long balls that were thrown up to him, he won. Now if there's nobody there to make the flick on mean anything, that's not Benteke's fault. He's done his job by winning the ball. His hold up play was decent enough and his link up play was, again, decent enough.

He made a couple of good runs that Coutinho tried to find him with. He actually runs away from goal, freeing up space, which gave Phil the chance to shoot and score. The one "chance" he did get, he missed completely with the shot on the turn from thirteen, fourteen yards out when the ball came in from the right (think it was a Lallana cross).

What I noticed about him was his work ethic. When we have the ball, he's alive and trying to find space. When we don't have it, he's about as mobile as Balotelli. And that's the biggest problem I had with him yesterday. I'd have liked to have seen him press a bit more from the front. If the goals don't come for him early (or at all) then the least Liverpool fans expect is to see you working hard for the cause.

What I noticed about him was his work ethic. When we have the ball, he's alive and trying to find space. When we don't have it, he's about as mobile as Balotelli. And that's the biggest problem I had with him yesterday. I'd have liked to have seen him press a bit more from the front.

As long as he's occupying that #9 area and comes alive when we have the ball, I have no problem with it. I thought the mistake with Balo and Lambert was having them press and work the channels too much which left the 9 position empty. We need his presence and physicality there to bully their CB's in my opinion.

His movement to take the defenders out of Phillipes way for the goal was fantastic to see.  Balo would have stayed where he was, in his way, with his back to goal, wanting the ball to his feet so he could try a spectacular overhead kick 

Love intelligent play like that, so simple but so effective.

I remember several times where he dropped back in midfield to get on to one of the kicks from Mignolet and he didn't get anywhere near the ball.

Not surprised he wasn't getting anywhere near the ball seeing as virtually all of Mignolet's kicks were going out to the wing towards Ibe.

Not surprised he wasn't getting anywhere near the ball seeing as virtually all of Mignolet's kicks were going out to the wing towards Ibe.

I don't actually think that guy watched the game. He's talking beans about it all day. Or maybe he's just completely clueless.

As long as he's occupying that #9 area and comes alive when we have the ball, I have no problem with it. I thought the mistake with Balo and Lambert was having them press and work the channels too much which left the 9 position empty. We need his presence and physicality there to bully their CB's in my opinion.

When did Balotelli press? Lambert tried but was too slow to do anything that hurt the opposition.

One of our biggest faults last year was when we didn't have the ball, we didn't press from the front. Ian Rush is Liverpool's greatest defender and all that. With the ball, Benteke was moving and creating space. Without it, he kinda just stood around. Without comparing the two, one of the biggest reasons Suarez was lauded as the greatest player in the world was because of his tenacity and work ethic when we didn't have the ball.

Benteke is a forward and will therefore be judged primarily on goals. If they're not coming then people will be judging his work ethic and from what I saw, he didn't look like he was going to close the opposition down. Just an early observation that could be put down to early season rust. And like I said, I think he played alright overall.

When did Balotelli press? Lambert tried but was too slow to do anything that hurt the opposition.

Oh come on, you know he did press, whether that was when he was deeper, out wide or in the middle, but our pressing as a team was absolutely poor.

One of our biggest faults last year was when we didn't have the ball, we didn't press from the front. Ian Rush is Liverpool's greatest defender and all that. With the ball, Benteke was moving and creating space. Without it, he kinda just stood around. Without comparing the two, one of the biggest reasons Suarez was lauded as the greatest player in the world was because of his tenacity and work ethic when we didn't have the ball.

Benteke is a forward and will therefore be judged primarily on goals. If they're not coming then people will be judging his work ethic and from what I saw, he didn't look like he was going to close the opposition down. Just an early observation that could be put down to early season rust. And like I said, I think he played alright overall.

Last season, I felt It was tactics more than our strikers lack of pressing that was the concern in my opinion. Too many times we had our strikers isolated,  and too many times we had our players behind the striker rather than supporting further up. How often did we see our midfielders press intensely last season? Rarely from what I remember.
I do agree that pressing from the front is important, but only if the team is setup for the pressing game. Watching the first half vs Stoke, I don't think we were setup to play a high pressing game too.

If we were to play a pressing game, we should look into the diamond, especially when we have 2 of the best box-box pressing players in the league in my opinion, then you look at Firmino, he'll press all day long, so have him up there supporting our striker and pressing from the front with Coutinho/Lallana helping out. It really would be the perfect setup.

Well, if you take other tall strikers, I'd say the very best in the air are probably around that level. Crouch won 60% of his aerial duels last season. Andy Carroll and Altidore won 61%.

From the very quick and far from scientific check I've done, it seems that top CBs in the air have higher percentages but I haven't found any strikers above that level, really. Defenders do have the advantage in most aerial duels as they're facing the ball so it is not exactly surprising - and even they don't even get close to 90%, which is just an unrealistic and made up number (Mertesacker won 70% of his aerial duels last season).

More numbers from last season: Giroud won 50% of aerial duels. Harry Kane won 26%. Diego Costa 30%. Drogba 49%. Chamakh 32%. Lukaku 34%. Jelavic 37%. Ulloa 34%. Vardy 35%. Balotelli 22%. Dzeko 52%. Falcao 27%. Van Persie 33%. Cisse 22%. Austin 31%. Zamora 32%.  Lambert 43%. Pellè 50%. Diouf 42%. Walters 41%. Graham 39%. Bony 46%. Gomis 33%.

So yeah. I'm not sure but it seems like 64% is actually pretty good.

Ouch..stats sure do hurt sometimes. Nice pickup Diego.

Well, if you take other tall strikers, I'd say the very best in the air are probably around that level. Crouch won 60% of his aerial duels last season. Andy Carroll and Altidore won 61%.

From the very quick and far from scientific check I've done, it seems that top CBs in the air have higher percentages but I haven't found any strikers above that level, really. Defenders do have the advantage in most aerial duels as they're facing the ball so it is not exactly surprising - and even they don't even get close to 90%, which is just an unrealistic and made up number (Mertesacker won 70% of his aerial duels last season).

More numbers from last season: Giroud won 50% of aerial duels. Harry Kane won 26%. Diego Costa 30%. Drogba 49%. Chamakh 32%. Lukaku 34%. Jelavic 37%. Ulloa 34%. Vardy 35%. Balotelli 22%. Dzeko 52%. Falcao 27%. Van Persie 33%. Cisse 22%. Austin 31%. Zamora 32%.  Lambert 43%. Pellè 50%. Diouf 42%. Walters 41%. Graham 39%. Bony 46%. Gomis 33%.

So yeah. I'm not sure but it seems like 64% is actually pretty good.

Mmmmm... stats.   



I wonder... which of our defenders comes out tops Diego; where did you get those figures?

Mmmmm... stats.   



I wonder... which of our defenders comes out tops Diego; where did you get those figures?

I got all stats from www.squawka.com

As I said, it was just quick check that does not prove anything, but they're surely a much better guess at what an attacking "aerial beast" numbers look like than a random guess like 90%.

As for our defenders, here are the numbers from last season:

- Skrtel: 65%
- Sakho: 57%
- Lovren: 72%
- Touré: 43%

Oh come on, you know he did press, whether that was when he was deeper, out wide or in the middle, but our pressing as a team was absolutely poor.

No he didn't mate. Balotelli done nothing of the sort, he was lambasted for it by everyone.

I agree our pressing as a team was poor last year and that stems from the front. Your forward sets the tone, which is why I'd like to see Benteke do more of it.

but they're surely a much better guess at what an attacking "aerial beast" numbers look like

Indeed mate... but you'll still get people forward the, "I know what I saw", defence and when faced with that childlike rationale it's just not worth wasting one's time engaging them further.

Squawka you say? I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.

At home. To promoted side. Decent opportunity for Christian to hit the target. Hope he gets off the mark tonight ...

Come on lad, get your first goals for the club tonight.

lolimmobile

idiots.

He's a bit good this lad isn't he.

He's a bit good this lad isn't he.

I knew he would put in a shift Si and that he had good mobility and could hold up play.

What impressed me most were some of his passes, superb stuff.