 |
| Liverpool's Christian Benteke |
The narrative dictated that he would keep a clean sheet. He was about six minutes away from a restorative shutout. Then a 6ft 3in Belgian battering ram went airborne, swivelling to volley spectacularly.
De Gea had no chance. Christian Benteke had beaten him. It was brilliant, but in vain. It finished Manchester United 3 Liverpool 1.
hat was September. And while it is only the half-way stage of the campaign, and Liverpool have scored other memorable goals - whether from Philippe Coutinho at Stoke in August or Roberto Firminoagainst Arsenal on Wednesday - the sense is that the club’s goal-of-the-year contest should be closed. It ought to be a formality.
And yet when Liverpool and United reconvene on Sunday, De Gea and Benteke will not be pitted against each other again. Not at first. Perhaps not at all.
The second most expensive player in Liverpool’s history has become the multi-million pound substitute, a microcosm of the lack of joined-up thinking at Anfield. Benteke looks a symbol of Liverpool’s capacity to sign the wrong player; not always a bad footballer per se, but exemplifying the ever more prevalent case of club and player being a mismatch.
Firmino’s own goal-of-the-season contender, his wonderfully curled second on Wednesday, was not the most significant element of the 3-3 draw with Arsenal for Benteke. Nor was his headed assist for Joe Allen’s last-minute leveller. That came when the teamsheets were posted an hour before kick-off.
Firmino, with a solitary goal in his previous 24 Liverpool games, was preferred in attack, a false nine chosen ahead of the sole specialist striker available. It was a selection that was signposted when Benteke was sent with the kids, the stiffs and the strangers to Exeter last Friday.
It is easier to contort Benteke's sizeable frame in mid-air to execute a high-class bicycle kick than to get him harrying and chasing in a way to suit Jurgen Klopp. Benteke is deemed too static to gegenpress in the German’s style.
In other circumstances, with Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings and Divock Origi injured, he would be a shoo-in to start. Instead, Benteke has suffered the ignominy of being omitted so Klopp can improvise with an ersatz striker, in Firmino. Rather than being the first name on the teamsheet, he seems the first chosen on the bench. He is Plan B.
Plan C, remarkably enough, is sending centre-back Steven Caulkeron alongside him in attack.
It is not that Benteke’s Liverpool record is actually that poor. Anfield has been a strikers’ graveyard. Yet his return of seven goals in 23 games compares favourably with Iago Aspas (one in 15), Rickie Lambert (three in 36), Fabio Borini (three in 38), Mario Balotelli (four in 28), Andy Carroll (11 in 58) and Fernando Morientes (12 in 60).
Read the full article on eurosport.co.uk: Christian Benteke, the £32.5m misfit set to be first big casualty of Klopp era.
With Richard Jolly
