Advertisement

Alex Keble

It won’t alter the title race or disrupt the top four, but in terms of value added to a team Crystal Palace’s £27 million acquisition of Christian Benteke could prove to be the signing of the summer.

After impressing for three years at Villa Park the 25-year-old had a dreadful time in Liverpool. His playing style never seemed suited to Brendan Rodgers’ possession-centric tactical philosophy, and when the Scotsman departed just three months after the Belgian’s arrival his fate was sealed. Benteke didn’t stand a chance on Merseyside.

As such, it is easy to forget just how devastating he was at Villa where, despite being embroiled in constant relegation battles, Benteke scored 42 league goals in three years.

His form was often patchy and his talent raw, but when Benteke was in his groove he was more powerful and more deadly in the air than any other Premier League striker. Yes, his technical ability leaves something to be desired, but his strongest attributes should perfectly compliment Crystal Palace’s tactics.

Pardew’s tactics

Alan Pardew’s tactical philosophy is remarkably simple and arguably the most easily definable in the Premier League. His West Ham, Newcastle and Palace teams have all played in exactly the same way: sit in a deep block, absorb pressure, and counter-attack quickly down the flanks.

The full-backs rarely venture forward in a flat back four, which is shielded by three strong central midfielders. These three tend to be defensive players that are able to quickly and efficiently distribute the ball into wide areas; Yohan Cabaye and Joe Ledley are archetypal Pardew midfielders.

The wingers are always in the same mould; they are very quick, defensively hard-working, and confident dribbling into the channels; Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend both play with a single-mindedness that has seen them struggle at a higher level. The aim is to get the ball wide, charge to the by-line, and swing crosses into the box as often as possible.

There is plenty of statistical evidence to show how consistent Pardew is with this set-up. Last season Palace attacked down the flanks 76% of the time, more than any other team (currently 78% for 2016/17), and attempted the most crosses in the division (26 per match). They also held the fourth least possession (46.8%) and scored the third most set-pieces. Winning fouls and maximising set-piece opportunities is another core feature of width-focused counter-attacking teams.

How Benteke fits in

Palace’s persistence on getting the ball out wide (their narrow central midfield three win back the ball and immediately target Zaha or Townsend) means that their centre-forward is rarely involved in build-up play. This, of course, is the weakest part of Benteke’s game and the reason why Jurgen Klopp deemed him surplus to requirements.

Last season, Connor Wickham was the most frequent passer of the ball amongst Palace’s strikers, but he only achieved 18.4 per game – the 46th most in the Premier League amongst forwards. Benteke will not be expected to drop short, hold up the ball, or help carefully build towards the opposition penalty area - which should suit him very well.

Instead, Palace build either by bombing down the flanks or pumping the ball long. They attempted 72.6 long balls per game last year (and have repeated the statistic so far in 2016/17) which was the second most in the division, and finished up with the longest average pass (21m).

Benteke will only be needed for his aerial prowess - not his passing range – and few Premier League players boast an aerial presence as brilliant as the Belgian’s; he averaged 8.5 headers won per 90 minutes at Anfield, and 8.6 per 90 over the three years he spent in Birmingham. Only Troy Deeney and Rudy Gestede won more headers overall than Benteke’s 127 in 2015/16.

But most importantly, signing Benteke guarantees Palace will score more goals. They have desperately lacked a natural goalscorer in recent years but now they finally possess someone capable of getting on the end of those endless crosses. With Zaha and Townsend both floating balls into the box, Benteke will undoubtedly rediscover the goalscoring form he developed under Tim Sherwood – who played in a similar system.

The one thing missing from Palace’s attacks is heading ability; they only scored nine headed goals last campaign (9th most in the division) despite their constant reliance on crosses and set-pieces. With Benteke in the team, Pardew has found the final piece in the jigsaw.