Jurgen Klopp Speaks on Christian Benteke, Expensive Striker to Leave Anfield?

Liverpool Boss Jürgen Klopp has moved to defend Christian Benteke after he had nine attempts on the West Ham on Tuesday night without scoring.

Liverpool showed a spectacular performance but were knocked out of the FA Cup in the last minute of extra-time at Upton Park after Angelo Ogbonna’s header that sealed the 2-1 victory.

West Ham took the lead through Michail Antonio, but Liverpool responded when Philippe Coutinho scored through a free kick.

Everything seemed favorable to both sides as each of them had enough chances to win the match, but the Hammer ultimately secured a place in the next round of the Cup when Ogbonna sent a header in the last minute of extra time.

Benteke was once again guilty of a swathe of missed chances at the Upton Park, and the forward’s goalless steak with the Reds continued after he missed at least three gilt-edged chances.

But Klopp was not in the mood to criticize the Belgian, instead praising him by saying that he need one attempt to regain his goal scoring form.

Klopp said:  “Ask 80 to 90 per cent of all strikers in the world – high-quality, low-quality, no-quality – they will tell you they’ve had times like this. It’s like it is and you have to carry on. You have to go on, there’s no other situation.

“All the people in the world want the easy goal, but then the easy goal doesn’t help, so you have to play, you have to improve, you have to want to do all the things – that’s how it always is. It’s no different for Christian.

“But tonight, it was a really good game without the maximum finish, but he did a lot, he worked a lot, so it was a big step – that’s good for us and that’s good for him.”