4 headed goals, 176 aerial duels won – Does Villa striker need better service?

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Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke has endured a quieter season in front of goal this term.

And yet the Belgian still has seven strikes to his name, with four assists. At the weekend. meanwhile, he told the Birmingham Mail he is happy with his season so far:

“I never imagined I would have such a good season and I’m happy with what I did, although I knew there would be some tough times,” He said.

“That happened this season when I was injured and when I didn’t score for a long time. But now I’m feeling better, which is good both for me and for the team.”

A look at the stats suggests Benteke is right to be pleased.

This season, the 23-year-old has scored more headed goals than anyone else in the Premier League, with only Peter Crouch winning more aerial duels than the striker.

Still, though, Benteke’s seven goals are hardly as clinical as the 19 he got in 25 last season. But with the statistics going very much in his favour, is any potential problem in front of goal down to service and not because of the forward himself?

As we can see, Villa make just 4.19 accurate crosses per game, one of the lower rates in the Premier League, despite a reasonable amount played per game.

Marc Albrighton is a case in point. The Aston Villa winger made 41 crosses in his last two games, with just 12 being successful.

Even then, however, the “accurate” crosses often come into Benteke’s path without pace or direction. In winning so many aerial duels, the Belgian often has too much to do to divert the ball into the back of the net, with the ball simple floating into the goalkeeper’s arms.

The 23-year-old would thus benefit from much-improved service and, with his stats being as they are, imagine what he could do then?

Would Benteke flourish with better service?

image: © little-pete