09 Jan 2016 11:00:01
I was really disappointed with Benteke yesterday. I was really hoping he would give their defenders a tough time and show them what's it's like to mark a PL attacker but he didn't really impose himself.

He seems to be really struggling for confidence or maybe feels he did the wrong move but if he could just keep the ball and hold up the play to bring players into the attack he will increase his contribution to the team greatly for me.

Tough period for him.

{Ed001's Note - confidence? It is not confidence he lacks, it is workrate. He is stood watching, which is far more worrying than a lack of confidence, as the one cross he actually bothered to get in the box for he got to and should have scored with. There is no sign of a lack of confidence, he is trying flicks, which are a sign that he is confident.}

1.) 09 Jan 2016
09 Jan 2016 11:28:51
Totally agree ed, I don't think I've seen him sprint for a ball yet, he does a lot Of pointing to were he wants it, but doesn't even bother to move there, sick of seeing him walking round the pitch, it's not confidence, it's atitude, the very least you expect is a shift out of him, we can all handle passes going astray now an again or Shia going wide, but workrate is there bare minimum requirement to any pro footballer, especially if there playing for our team, like ir loath milner, he couldn't hi a barn door with a banjo at times, but he runs his socks off puts a shift in and never bottles a tackle, Technically he's proabaly not the best but you can never fault his atitude, he could do with avin word with benteke over his.

2.) 09 Jan 2016
09 Jan 2016 12:03:55
I think if someone bid £20m for him Kloppo would sell.
What last night demonstrated is we have SO many young players out on loan its obscene.
We really need to clear the decks and get rid of some of the first team squad passengers. These young players need to be in the first team squad, some of them in the first team.
Ojo, Kent, Canos have all got the ability to make it as attacking midfielders/ forwards
Teixeira should be in the first team let alone the squad
Ilori should be backup to the first choice central defenders.
Smith is ready for the first team.
Then we have Lloyd Jones still on loan, Gomez injured, Rossiter injured.

Kloppo has done absolutely the right thing in recalling these loan players. They need to be utilised and they need to be given their chance.

3.) 09 Jan 2016
09 Jan 2016 12:50:49
My dad whos old school said the same about benteke last night ed. He said "why is he trying to flick the ball everywere when he should be in the box".

{Ed001's Note - if he was busting a gut to get in the box, then it would not be such an issue that he is not working to help the team press. Sadly he is mostly stood on the edge of the box when crosses do go in.}

4.) 09 Jan 2016
09 Jan 2016 13:08:15
I don't know about the flicks showing confidence, a real confident striker would just take the ball and shoot. Totally agree though, the amount of times he just ambles into the box and waits for the perfect cross rather than attempting to lose his man.

5.) 09 Jan 2016
09 Jan 2016 14:02:26
Spot on, Ron. I fully agree with everything thing in your post. As for Benteke, I have watched every goal he scored for Villa especially in his first two seasons and I don't know who the Benteke we have here is because the one at Villa, was doing everything he's not doing here. He made runs into, the box, attacked headers, could take the ball from the half way line and run all the way and score, could take free kicks, score penalties, the whole nine yards. Watch on YouTube if you wanna verify this. Why is he not doing that here? Are Villa players better than ours? No! Doesn't matter if we cross the ball well or how many times we do that, if the striker can't/ won't make the runs or make the moves necessary to get to these crosses, he won't score that is the bottom line. It's not a confidence issue, it's an attitude and desire issue which was my biggest fear of signing him because vs Arsenal in the Cup final, he was a ghost and did absolutely nothing all game. Ed is right. He just seems to not be bothered and if a good bid ever came like Ron said, Klopp will get shot of him.

6.) 09 Jan 2016
09 Jan 2016 14:38:04
I've seen a lot of Benteke for Villa. From my perspective he was always a player who would step it up for 3-4 games and then go missing for 10.
He's not changed that much, capable of so much more but just doesn't turn up often enough.
Not the kind of player Kloppo will indulge for long.

7.) 09 Jan 2016
09 Jan 2016 16:40:48
You're prolly right, Ron.