Benteke a victim of his own success, says Lambert

The Aston Villa boss believes the striker, who has failed to score in his last seven appearances, set a high standard for himself following last season's 23-goal haul

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Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert claims Christian Benteke is a "victim of his own success”.

The Belgium international, whose campaign has been hampered by a hip injury, has not scored in his last seven appearances for Villa.

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After signing from Genk in an €8 million deal in August 2012, Benteke went on to score 23 goals in all competitions under Lambert and the Villa boss believes the 23-year-old has fallen below the standards he set in his debut season.

"I'm pretty sure Christian's a victim of his own success but he's created that himself," Lambert told reporters.

"There's nobody he can blame for that other than himself because he set a really high standard for himself and, when you fall below it, that's what can happen.

“The challenge is for him to bounce back."