In terms of playing out wide, yes - he's pretty good. His crossing is very good. But I'm talking specifically about him in a central midfield role.
Not sure we need CMs to be running with the ball too often although Can can do that. I'd say let the ball so the work, they're all capable of fast one touch passing. Leave running with the ball to the players that are good at it such as Coutinho.
Thats actualy not too bad. What it allows is flexibility to adapt on game as well. Could switch that to a 433 with cout and firmmy wide and Milner back in middle or a 442 diamond with cout behind firmmy an benteke. Benteke woild hope the ball and bring the 3 behind into play, while of Milner is wide he has a good delivery and benteke will actually give us the option of putting in a cross. Said id it a lot but last year we were easy to defend against as teams pushed us wide limiting the space in the middle in the knowledge that we wouldn't/couldn't cross the ball with only sterling in the middle. At least benteke in there would make teams think twice about that
maybe that is the logic behind benteke being in there, would make sense except tthe price to target him lol. what about lambert though if that was the thinking behind targeting him, could he not have adopted that style of play to his game or too slow and old maybe, ie beneteke has pace as well doesnt he?
Long time...Benteke is at least four years younger: and we can recoup majority part of the outlay if we have to sell within the next three years. Bacca would be about 33 in three years. No one would pay £10m for a player of that age.Also, we may not have to pay £32.2m for Benteke at once. Prudent accounting policy.
But problem is, Coutinho will be operating higher so he has less space to run into. And the issue is can the CM's get the ball into the attackers. I know it sounds simple enough but it's not - it's a congested area and finding space and more importantly the key pass is difficult. However, if we set up as 4-2-3-1, then I'd imagine we get the ball up the pitch through the full backs (Moreno and Clyne), so I guess CM's running with the ball isn't that crucial.
Well this is the thing - we have big target men like Mario and Lambert but Rodgers couldn't make it work. If he couldn't play to their strengths, why is he willing to change the system to suit Benteke?
Any way you cut it. .. we will be a better side than last year. That doesn't get us to top 4 but at least we are better. If the side improves like this and we finally after 2/3 years of Gerrard fading have shed that issue it can only be a good thing to move on now. I bet Tobes could do that maths and show how much we've shovelled out and are still not grateful
He'll be 29 in Sept. Strikers tend to fade rapidly post 30 (See RvP for details) so whilst I think he'd be great for a season or 2, in terms of value I think he's a poor investment.
Should bear in mind that he didn't really start playing at a high level until 22. Also, he rarely finishes game. Think he only played one full game last season.
Another point - we have Coutinho and just spent £22m on Firmino who are creative players predominantly through the centre and playing through balls. Benteke is not that type of striker.
The Greatest Strikers of All Time Shirt number: 9These are strikers in the purest sense of the word : out-and-out strikers. Their sole job is scoring goals and they have excellent finishing abilities. There are several ways of achieving this and several types of striker. However, they will all play up-front, usually with either a centre-forward (target man) or a second striker and will rely on chances being set up by these players (or by wingers and attacking midfielders). In earlier eras these players could occupy any of the inside forward or centre forward positions. These strikers will play as close to the opponents goal as they can without being offside and are never expected to track back or perform other duties. It is more important that they provide an outlet and a presence in the penalty box. The complete striker is something special as they are often able to create and score their own goals (see below). Great strikers usually work in great partnerships and the descriptions below explain the logical pairings that tend to exist, although often the best partnerships don't follow these rules but instead create an intangible chemistry where pairings just 'click' or fail to gel.In the Mid 2010s the striker role was being seriously questioned. Roma, Spain, and Barcelona all experimented with striker-less formations, using another forward or attacking midfielder up front, often interchanging or dropping back in a way to maintain possession. There was no permanent spearhead. In the 2014 World Cup many teams played with a 'false nine' - a forward that drifted and started from a deeper position, a role highlighted by Messi at Barcelona, but dating far back, for instance to the Hungary team of the 1950s.The greatest 'advanced strikers'These strikers specialise in playing 'off the shoulder' of the last defender, making well-timed runs onto incisive through balls and beating the offside trap (although these players may often be frequently caught off-side during a game). They will principally use their pace to get into goalscoring positions, and also tend to have great dribbling ability. Their finishing is excellent and they can score from many angles outside the box. They are also great in one-on-ones with the keeper. Sometimes these players can be positioned (or drift) wide, coming inside to attack the goal (i.e. Thierry Henry). These players tend to work best when combined with centre forwards or second strikers. Bloomer Eng 1890s/1900sPepi Bican Aus 1930s/40sFontaine Fra 1950sAdemir Bra 1950sRivaIta 1968-74Cha Bum-Kun S.Kor 1978-86Careca Bra 1980sRossiIta 1980sValdano Spa 1980sPapin Fra 1980s/90sLineker Eng 1986-90Klinsmann Ger 1980s/1990sBebeto Bra 1990s Suker Cro 1990-2002HenryFra 1990s/00s Kluivert Neths1990s/00sF. Inzaghi Ita 1990s/2000sOwenEng 2000sEto'o Cam 2000s/10sDavid Villa Spa 2000s/10s Luis Suarez Uru 2010s The greatest 'goal poachers' of all timeThe 'poacher' or 'fox in the box' is usually a scorer of a great many goals but not a scorer of many great goals. Almost all goals are scored from within the penalty box (many from within the six-yard box) and result from approach play or saved shots from other players. The poacher seizes on loose balls in and around the box and puts them away. This is not as easy as it sounds. The great goal poacher instinctively knows when and where to be, he has fast reactions, and he can lose his marker and can score with great improvisation: with either foot, the head or even other body parts. He can turn tightly in space and score from acute and unusual angles. These players often offer nothing else to gameplay outside the box but can register amazing goal tallies. They always need to be combined with other talented second strikers or centre-forwards and tend to work best when combined with the former. To qualify for this list they have to be something special and have extraordinary goal tallies. Leonidas Bra 1930s N Simonian USSR 1950s Jimmy Greaves Eng 1960sDenis Law Sco 1962-74 Uwe Seeler Ger 1966-70 Gerd Muller Ger 1970s Ian Rush Eng 1980s Hugo Sanchez Mex 1980s [U]Romario[/U] Bra 1988-94 [U]van Nisteltrooy[/U] Neths 1998-2008 [U]Lewandowski[/U] Pol 2010s Falcao Col 2010s The greatest 'complete strikers' of all timeThe complete striker is a rare breed. They are difficult to define and worth their weight in goal. They have the attributes of several different types of striker and can perform several roles. For instance, they are often able to create and score their own goals (i.e. Ronaldo), or to act as a target man and also an off-the-shoulder striker (i.e. Torres). They can frequently operate effectively alone up front or offer versatility in their choice of striking partner. Their unpredictability makes them all the harder to defend against. Eusebio Por 1960sBettega Ita 1970s/80s Rummenigge Ger 1978-86 Butragueno Spa 1980s van Basten Neths 1988-1990 Shevchenko Ukr 1990s/00sWeah Lib 1990s Ronaldo Bra 2000s Crespo Arg 2000s Torres Spa 2000s van Persie Neths 2000s/10s
