Carragher on new Kop star Benteke
THEY are the men Brendan Rodgers believes will transform liverpool’s goal return; two massive signings whose fortunes will define the new season.
The different reactions to the arrivals of Roberto Firmino and christian Benteke, however, could not be more stark.
Though 95 per cent of liverpool supporters have never seen Firmino in action — YouTube doesn’t count — they believe he is already on his way to becoming an icon. He comes from Brazil, his style is similar to luis Suarez’s and his form for Hoffenheim was brilliant, leaving fans saying: ‘imagine what he’ll be like for us!’ That is the mystique of buying players from abroad. Firmino could well be another Suarez; he could also be another alberto aquilani.
contrast that to Benteke, who has become the second biggest signing in liverpool’s history after scoring 42 goals in 89 Premier league appearances for aston villa, a team who have fought for survival in each of the three years he was there. Only Sergio aguero (55), Suarez (53) and Robin van Persie (44) have scored more in the top flight since he marked his debut with a goal against Swansea in September 2012.
can you imagine what liverpool fans would be saying about Firmino if the 32 goals he has scored in all competitions over the past two years for Hoffenheim — whose finishing positions were ninth and eighth — had come during a fight against the drop?
You can see what i am getting at. it has always fascinated me to see the reaction to those who are brought in from foreign leagues compared to when there is a transfer between Premier league clubs. There are no secrets about players in england. We know all there is to know.
So while we’ve been impressed by how Benteke has torn teams apart — liverpool, against whom he scored five goals in six games, have really suffered — we also know when his touch has been poor and his lack of interest has been apparent. He can be devastating and infuriating in equal measure.
The hope at liverpool is that surrounding him with better players will see him become even more devastating and consistent. i like him as a striker and actually think he would be great for chelsea. Jose Mourinho likes that profile of forward and sets his teams up to get the best out of them.
My worry at liverpool is, will he be suited to the short, sharp and incisive passing game that Rodgers favours? Brendan wants his side to play through teams, rather than getting the ball into him from wide areas, a fact Tim Sherwood pointed out as soon as liverpool’s interest became public.
Parallels have already been drawn with andy carroll and people have pointed out that Rodgers wasted no time in getting rid of him but that decision had nothing to do with the fact that carroll was a big man. it was purely down to his lack of pace and movement.
Those are qualities Benteke has but his biggest problem at the moment, where a lot of liverpool fans are concerned, is that they know him. He would have liked the welcome that Firmino has received, but in a few months a warm reception will count for nothing.
all that will matter is how many goals they have managed to score. That alone will determine how popular they become.