Jurgen Klopp saw progress in “completely different” Christian Benteke performance v Manchester City

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says that he saw a “completely different” performance from Christian Benteke in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Manchester City.

The Belgian striker has really struggled for game time in 2016, but was given 20 minutes off the bench as we exacted revenge for our Capital One Cup final defeat.

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A poll conducted by the Echo this week also revealed that a majority of Liverpool fans want the 25-year-old moved on after a disappointing first campaign at Anfield.

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Benteke has scored seven goals in 32 Reds appearances – 14 of which have come off the bench. He has only started one Premier League game since the turn of the year.

Roberto Firmino has been our main striker of late, and Klopp has admitted that Benteke is also currently behind Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi in the pecking order.

But the German was pleased with the progress that he saw from Benteke in his cameo against Man City – indicating that his work on the training ground paid dividends.

“If you saw him now in the last game, he came in and it was completely different to the games he had before,” Klopp told Liverpool’s official website.

“The problem is at a club like Liverpool, with the strikers we have – Sturridge, Benteke, Origi, Ings injured but here, and Firmino, who we thought it would be a good idea to let him play as a striker too – you have not too much time to show what you are able to do. You need to use the time you’ve got.

“Christian was not in the best moment in this situation and Sturridge came back and Divock came back and so now they are a little bit ahead in this moment.

“But when I saw Christian coming into the last game, that was really good. He played really well and [did] what he showed in training before, so he’s in a good way too. Everything is OK.”

We cannot say that we saw any improvement in Benteke’s performance, and are in the majority that feel we should get as much money back as possible for him in the summer.

The powerhouse forward simply does not suit Klopp’s playing style, and it is difficult to see how that is going to change when there are better options already available.

SEE ALSO:
Sidelined striker rejected chance to leave Liverpool in January but will be sold in summer
Fan Opinion : The Benteke Conundrum
Liverpool’s 5 most popular players named: Divock Origi voted in 4th with 95.1%

More Stories Christian Benteke Daniel Sturridge Danny Ings Divock Origi Jürgen Klopp Roberto Firmino