Christian Benteke’s form has earned his Crystal Palace starting spot ahead of Jean-Philippe Mateta, insists Roy Hodgson
BY SAM SMITH
Christian Benteke’s improved form has kept new signing Jean-Philippe Mateta out of the Crystal Palace team, Roy Hodgson has said.
The Belgian has scored five times this season which is his best return since he netted 17 in all competitions during the 2016-17 campaign. Those goals include two in his last four appearances – the sensational winner against Brighton and the equaliser in Palace’s eventual 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Mateta has been limited to 170 minutes of Premier League football across four appearances since he signed from Mainz on an initial 18-month loan. The game against Brighton, when he scored his first and only Palace goal so far with a backheeled finish, was the Frenchman’s last start.
Hodgson said he would have no concerns starting the 23-year-old in tomorrow’s fixture against West Bromwich Albion – but that he has been kept out of the team recently because of Benteke’s form. The Palace boss also ruled out that the pair could play up front together.
He said: “He (Mateta) is very much a part of the plans, absolutely. We are counting on him playing and doing what we know he can do and hopefully scoring goals for us in the run-in. that’s a definite given.
“The only reason he’s not started is because his arrival has coincided with a resurgence to form by Christian Benteke, who has been doing extremely well. When Christian is playing, we perhaps prefer another type of centre-forward to play around him than have two centre-forwards who are very much of the same ilk. It’s not more complicated than that.
“It’s not a question of bedding him in. He could play tomorrow without any shadow of a doubt and without any concerns on my side. It’s purely a matter of competition at the moment. I don’t see my way clear at this moment in time to play them both together, so if Christian plays it tends to mean that he (Mateta) has to start on the bench.”
Palace host 19th-placed West Brom tomorrow. The Baggies are managed by former Palace boss Sam Allardyce.
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