Jurgen Klopp has revealed his discontent with striker Christian Benteke and insisted that the hitman must improve his approach if he is to end his barren streak.
The Aston Villa frontman moved to Anfield during the summer in a high-profile £32.5 million move [fee via BBC Sport]. Benteke—having scored regularly for his previous club before switching to Merseyside—could have been the answer to the lack of the scoring threat since the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona a year beforehand.
Mario Balotelli was brought in in the summer of 2014 as a potential replacement for Suarez, but was moved on to AC Milan a year later as Benteke was brought to the club.
However, while Benteke hasn’t quite been as bad as Balotelli, the forward has struggled to impress, scoring only six goals in 21 appearances so far this season.
The forward has started only 12 matches—coming off the bench on nine occasions—and has largely been overlooked by Klopp for a starting berth in recent weeks.
Given the chance to impress against West Ham United in the FA Cup in midweek, as the Reds were dumped out by the Hammers, Benteke failed to impose himself, sparking criticism from Klopp.
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The German coach, speaking to the media on Friday [as per the Mirror], has urged the hitman to adapt his approach in order to being getting better results.
“In parts it was much better at West Ham because [Benteke] was in a lot of situations. When crosses come into the box – and the cross is good – and Christian Benteke is not close to it, then something is wrong,” Klopp began.
“He had these opportunities and he was reacting on the ball, so it is not as bad as it sounds. Carry on, but you have to change things or the problem will not be solved.”