Bent is a dying breed of striker. He's a pure, out and out goal scorer who can't really do too much else. In the modern game players like him are becoming a rarity. Guys like Andy Cole, Michael Owen, Ian Wright who'd play right off the shoulder but would demand the service to get the best out them.Also much like Andy Cole, a draw back to Bent is that, though he's always making very good runs and gets into good positions, he sometimes needs 3-4 chances to put one in the back of the net. So by virtue you have to be creating these chances for him.Even Fergie recognised 6-7 years ago the way the league was heading and realised he couldn't carry Ruud Van Horseface. Fucking brilliant player at what he did, but all he did was score goals. You spend large amounts of the game with basically 9 outfield players when you play a striker like that. Hernandez is your classic goalscorer but adapted for the modern game. Technically he's very good, he can run at people and he gets involved in the game.Lets face it though, every one wants to be Barca. In that side, every single player gets involved, every single player wants the ball. Only 2 players in our side, Lowton and Westwood, have made more passes than Benteke this season, suggesting he gets a lot of the ball. He's our top scorer and our joint top in assists. Bent cannot do what Benteke has done.I like Bent. But his days as a striker for a top club are over. He's also probably only got 2 more years at Prem level before his style becomes even more obsolete. To be honest we need to sell him now whilst we can get some sort of reasonable fee. Leave it till Jan, or the following summer and we'll get peanuts. Lambert isn't, and shouldn't, adapt his style to suit Bent.
In contrast to others, I think Bent could, if asked, and if willing, play in the role out wide in the 3, he did as a kid coming through at Ipswich and I saw Curbishley when he was out of the side saying in our team, he would give Bent a run in one of the wide roles. If Andi or Gabby got injured I would be tempted to put him there, if only in the hope of 2-3 goals before may pumping his price back up. He was the right signing, at the right moment, for a very small window of time. The appointment of McLeish killed him.
This is getting very tired. Bent can only play up front, not in any of the support strikers role. Benteke is sensational. Lambert clearly made the right call. We can't play 442Simple