MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 08:39:33| >> :60:2761:2761:

John Barnes: 'Liverpool will have to change to suit Christian Benteke'

John Barnes feels that Liverpool would have to change their style of play to accommodate Christian Benteke.

Former Liverpool midfielder John Barnes has suggested that his old side would have to change their style of play in order to accommodate Christian Benteke.

The Aston Villa striker has been linked with a move to Anfield, with recent reports suggesting that the Belgian wants to force through an exit this summer.

Barnes has said that Liverpool might have to play more direct if they were to get the best out of Benteke.

"Liverpool will have to adapt the way they play to suit Christian Benteke," he told talkSPORT. "When they play with Raheem Sterling, and Philippe Coutinho, they pass the ball through midfield and always want to score the perfect goal.

"With Benteke, you get the ball wide and then in the box, you need to be a little bit more direct.

"If he comes it will need a sweeping change in the way Liverpool play. Would that be a bad thing? Not necessarily, balance is important. At times Liverpool overplayed which really came off two years ago but didn't last season. He would cause people a lot of problems."

Benteke joined Villa from Genk in 2012.

ID:232297: cacheID:232297:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2380:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Christian Benteke of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Everton at Villa Park on May 2, 2015
Read Next:
Report: Benteke to ask for Villa exit
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!