In a career which can span up to 20 years, it is common sense that footballers will occasionally hit dips in form. Although it must be said, Christian Benteke’s dip in the past three years is perhaps more comparable to the Grand Canyon – vast and never-ending. With five goals in his past 68 outings for Palace, the once prolific scorer’s confidence appears shot to pieces. However, his recent performance at Goodison Park has got Palace fans talking. It appears the big man is not going down without a fight.
Where did it all go wrong?
When Benteke rocked up to a struggling Aston Villa as an overgrown 22-year-old, it did not take long for him to hit the ground running. With 23 goals in his debut season, the Belgian would go on to average a goal every other game during his three years in Birmingham. His 6’3 frame, lethal finishing and eye for the spectacular rendered him pretty much unplayable when he was on song. Meanwhile, he provided a stiff challenge to Romelu Lukaku’s starting spot as Belgium number 9.
Having jumped ship one year before Villa’s inevitable relegation, Benteke got his dream opportunity in a £32.5m move to Liverpool. Things got off to a good start, netting a sumptuous overhead kick at Old Trafford just one-month in. However, it became quickly apparent that Benteke was not particularly well-suited to Jurgen Klopp’s pacey, ‘rock n roll’ style of play. After finishing the season with nine league goals, Benteke was quietly ushered out of the door returning to the relative ‘small-time’ of Crystal Palace.
A respectable return of 15 league goals in 2016-17 put him above the likes of Sadio Mane, Jamie Vardy and Heung-Min Son in the scoring charts. For £27m, many praised the acquisition given the perception of ‘guaranteed goals’ that he was thought to bring. Having survived comfortably, most expected the following season to bring more of the same as he sought retribution for his shortcomings at Anfield. Nobody expected the sustained drop in form that followed.
Stuck in a rut
In a team which relies so heavily on the pace and trickery of direct, attacking wingers who are more likely to cut in than go for the by-line, Benteke has found reliable service into the box hard to come by. In a rigid 4-5-1 purpose-built not to concede, the likes of Zaha, Townsend and Milivojevic have brought in sufficient goals to maintain a steady flow of points. Indeed, there has been no incentive to change the system. As a result, Benteke has had to transition from a player who relies on service, towards a player who himself provides service to midfield support.
Obviously, this transition has not been easy – his lack of goals speaks for itself. The likes of Connor Wickham, Bakary Sakho and Michy Batshuayi were all half-heartedly drafted in to boost attacking options but to limited effect.
In Palace’s 3-1 loss to Everton on Saturday, Benteke may have been surprised to see his name on the team sheet. Flanked by Wilfred Zaha and the impressive Jordan Ayew either side, Benteke displayed some fantastic hold up play before getting on the scoresheet himself. Granted, it took a Pickford howler for it to happen, but his first goal of the season will bring him much needed confidence at a time when loan arrival Cenk Tosun puts his position under significant threat. Yes, Palace lost the game, but the promising signs displayed by the big Belgian have not gone unnoticed.
Moving Forwards
If Benteke is to gain the trust of Roy Hodgson again, more performances of that nature are required. During the course of the 90 minutes he made long balls stick, he turned to knock balls over the top for willing runners, and his goal represented an added bonus.
With Cenk Tosun returning to fitness after a minor knock, Hodgson’s next move will be revealing. Even from his short, and largely unsuccessful time at Everton Tosun’s goal threat was obvious, even if he did offer little else. Benteke appears more adept at bringing in the guile and quality of Jordan Ayew and Wilfred Zaha, if his most recent performance is anything to go by. It may ultimately be a matter of personal preference.
Let us not forget that Benteke is a striker who we have seen perform to an elite level in the top-flight for a number of seasons [albeit several years ago]. 71 Premier League goals in his first five years is testament to what he is capable of. These days, perhaps he has learned how to add something totally new to his game. Whether he can use this weekend as a platform remains to be seen but cast your minds back and the quality that lies within is a known fact.
Guapo Football 