Quick Benteke Start Would Provide Timely Boost for Palace

Alan Pardew’s frustration was obvious. Crystal Palace had played well at Tottenham, disciplined in the first half and more threatening in the second and, in the end, they’d been undone by a set-play before which they’d been forced into a substitution. In many ways there was much for Palace to be positive about, but the context is troubling. 

Two defeats in a row this season mean Palace have taken just 11 points from their last 21 league games. The familiar Pardew slump seems to have hit again, which perhaps explains the manager’s slight tetchiness when asked if there is a hangover from last season. “Remember we were in the final and nearly won the Cup, so I don’t think confidence is a problem,” he said. “We just need a bit more firepower if I’m honest, through the middle of the pitch and hopefully three-quarters of the job is done.”

The signing of Christian Benteke, he hopes, will add that firepower. “It is a tough, tough league,” Pardew said, “but you only have to look at the second half of last season, we were struggling to score goals. It isn’t rocket science, we had to make some changes. One thing always impressed me about Christian is he gets the goals you'd expect but every now and then he pulls a rabbit out of a hat with a goal.”

Even last season, Benteke’s goalscoring record was very good in terms of minutes per goal: despite playing on 1520 minutes in the league for Liverpool last season, he still hit the target nine times - as well as registering three assists. That Jurgen Klopp decided he had no future at Liverpool was a stylistic issue rather than anything else. He is not a player naturally equipped to operate a high press: last season Benteke made only 0.5 tackles per 90 minutes played and no interceptions. Roberto Firmino, by contrast, made 3.0 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per 90 minutes played.

Benteke is perhaps a more skilful player than is often allowed - as his brilliant overhead kick away to Manchester United last season demonstrated - but there is perhaps a sense that his game has changed since he suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury shortly before the 2014 World Cup.

He has always been good in the air: he won 7.6 aerials per 90 minutes last season - he got up to 9.7 at Aston Villa in the 2013/14 season when the supply was more based on crosses - and only Oliver Giroud has scored more than his 16 headed goals since he moved to the Premier League. That, presumably, is the strength that Palace will seek to exploit. They, after all, have a game plan largely based on crosses and even with Yannick Bolasie gone, have Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend who have the pace to create opportunities from wide.

Last season, Palace ranked second (154), behind only Southampton (174), for accurate crosses delivered from open play and top for inaccurate crosses. No side put more balls into the box than their 25.5 per game. “I don’t know if that will click straight away but we will look to find a formula to get the best out of him,” Pardew said on Saturday. “But he is certainly going to give us a different landscape and a different look.”

Connor Wickham is big enough to suggest he should be an aerial threat, but last season he won just 3.7 aerials per 90 minutes of 10.7 attempted. That suggests that Benteke, even only in that department, offers a significant movement. And he is quicker and a better finisher.

One of the doubts about Benteke is that he is a streaky player, than the variation between a confident Benteke and one who is down himself is vast, but with a good start, he could offer the boost Pardew is looking for. They need him to get on one of his streaks as soon as possible before the Pardew drift becomes terminal.

Can Christian Benteke rediscover his best form following his Palace switch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below