It's a shame we won't see the style of attack we had in 13/14 any time soon. Running in behind defences will be a thing of the past.
I really believe Benteke is not Rodgers target. He's the committees target and is being based on stats.
Same amount got Arsenal a title and CL winner in Sanchez. Same amount got Chelsea a La Liga title winner in Costa. £25m for United one of the best young talents in world football in Depay. £32.5m plus gets us a player from Villa with an ordinary record.
I think this is Rodgers to the core. He wanted Bony last summer, and he set the team up to play 4-2-3-1 last year. He wants a target man.
the Echo and other itk journos really do not see that as being the case tbh. I sincerely doubt the transfer committee would spend 32m on a target man if BR hadn't been well and truly behind it. It's BR's signing, and signals a return to his old philosophy of snail pace build up possession football with no end product. 13/14 was a fluke ignited by Suarez and his brilliance.
TBF Benteke's stats are impressive. Your ignoring a few things in that comparison. Benteke was awesome in his first season. Unfortunately he then suffered a serious injury and took a long time to recover. He scored 12 goals in Villa's last 12 games last season. Sanchez was an under appreciated bench warmer at Barca. Pedro is possibly available but he's not a proper striker. No one like Costa is available this summer. But with Costa's fitness issues I do not see him as a long term option for Chelsea.
To be fair, playing with a target man is Rodgers's preferred style. Playing 4-2-3-1 with a target man. I support this because it's what Rodgers's want and I just hope he stays true to this philosophy. He's too quick to chop and change things drastically, but now he's going back to the roots. Don't agree with signing Benteke or the price but I think symbolises that Rodgers knows he is under pressure and if he's going to be sacked, he will do it on his terms, playing his style and with his players. No excuses.
Bringing in O'Driscol, a pass and move coach, backs up your theory. But with players like Firminio I do not share your doubts about end product. I dont believe we have the right midfielders to play 4231 though. I expect 433 or 41212.
Pedro as a forward is a far better option than Benteke. But the point I'm making is that when you spend that much on a player, you expect quality. With Benteke, we don't know what we're gonna get. Our two biggest signings in history are Carroll and Benteke.
I agree - Firmino is great at making runs into the box. This is where Coutinho needs to develop his game further, and it's partly the reason why we were poor offensively last season due to lack of runners. Mario was isolated when he played that role last year - but Benteke will benefit from playing in a system which will suit him.
True but in the cases of Costa and Sanchez, you know you're getting top quality players with evidence of winning and playing with top players. Benteke is unproven.
Playing chessy football without winning anything is rubbish. Playing like Jose's team..do not concede first is what we need.
Unfortunately, that will never happen under Rodgers because he hasn't got a clue on how to coach a defence or set up a midfield.
The list of big names who have moved with a big reputation and big price tag and have still failed is pretty substantial. It's easy to cite, with hindsight, those who have been successes. No matter what you think you're going to get based on rep or stats, there are never, ever, any guarantees.
