Dimitar Berbatov arrived in English football in May 2006 with Tottenham Hotspur. He was an instant hit at White Hart Lane and became a must have transfer target for Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. On DeadlineDay 2008, Ferguson got his man, taking him from under the noses of Manchester City. Since then, Berbatov has never really hit the heights he reached with Tottenham and now looks destined to be sold on for a cheap price.
He was a man wanted so much by Manchester’s’ two clubs, that Tottenham were able to secure a bumper price tag of £30 million for the Bulgarian. This price has not helped the way that Berbatov is assessed. He has on many occasions played a key role in United successes but will always be accused of not producing enough to justify his cost.
His transfer fee was of course not Berbatovs fault. He has suffered in the same way as Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres in recent times, struggling under the burden of how much he has cost. But at the time, while it was a hefty sum, he looked a player well worth paying such a price for.
Berbatov is often accused of not producing the form that secured him the move to Old Trafford in the red shirt. However when you look at his goalscoring records they are pretty similar. At Tottenham he scored just over 2.5 goals a game on average while at United it is slightly inferior at 2.25 goals a game. Where Berbatov does have a case to answer is that he hasn’t consistently scored for United. 20 of his 48 United goals came in the 2010-11 season. In that season, 11 of his 20 goals came in just three games. This record suggests that he has been unable to play consistently well and has struck gold with some performances.
On the face of it though it is fair to argue that Berbatov could have been given more of a chance. After the 2010-11 season where he shared the Golden Boot, Berbatov was largely cast aside to make way for the return of Danny Welbeck in the 2011-12 season. Having played in over 30 league games in his first three seasons at Old Trafford, Berbatov was restricted to just 12 league appearances. In those appearances he scored 7 goals, a good record, possibly suggesting that he could and should have been used more in an ultimately unsuccessful season for United.
It would be fair to say that if Berbatov leaves United as expected this Summer, his time at the club will be considered a failure. But on the face of it, his record stacks up. So why is it that Berbatov and United haven’t quite fitted together? His style of play will always be an issue. Manchester United prides themselves of team unity and work rate. Berbatov has a languid style, which can look quite lazy at times. I think this infuriates United fans and when his performances don’t match up, it is something that is always pointed to.
Another thing that I feel when I watch Berbatov at United is that he plays far too deep. At Tottenham he was the spearhead playing on the last line of the defence. At United he too often drops in line with the midfield. The Bulgarian is blessed with supreme control and skill, but too often he performs this skill in the wrong areas of the pitch. He is often accused of slowing the tempo of the play down and it is possible that he does this as a result of playing too deep.
There is no denying the skill that Berbatov possesses. He has incredible poise and better control than anyone else in the Premier League. His goal scoring record stacks up as well but he will not be remembered as a great Manchester United player. Berbatov was the key reason that United won the 2010-11 Premier League title and so he will be remembered as playing a key role in club success. But whether it is his style of play, the pressure of his price tag or his contribution to the team effort, Berbatov will never be considered a player that will rank among the elite of Manchester United history.
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Yes, it’s quite simple. The boy’s an artist, he needs freedom to perform. But at united he was always made to run around like another worker bee. You can’t ask Picasso to paint with a hammer and a chisel.
I agree with the comment above and would add that simply counting goals is hugely unfair in assessing Berbatov. He is as much an unselfish and visionary creative player – with the most sublime first touch – as he is a goalscorer, a player who Alex Ferguson once said of: “He will hold it up and then play a pass around the box that means something.” Well, I don’t think Fergie gave him a fair chance and given the record fee he paid for Berbatov that is mystifying.
cos once u have played at the lane and leave you can never reproduce that magic…all about the fans love
Modric, take note!
He is a talisman. A magician. A veritable Merlin conjuring beauty and destruction in equal measure against lesser soulless teams. I smirked when he was sold by Spurs, it was obvious that the “system” at United would never yield to his mercurial ways. He wanted the glory, but he forgot his soul.
Berbatov did ok at utd.
Look like spurs will need him back cuz no other strikers look like coming adrian happy in Spain damiao happy in Brazil adebayor looking for a kings ransom to sign. I mean we have not exactly good loads of options maybe demba ba? But apart form strikers who are not really wanted by there club all the strikers in their prime seam not to chose tottenham or maybe we can’t afford them, sad…
DONT WANT TO SEE THE SULKY BASTARD BACK AT THE LANE ANOTHER SHIT LIKE SHERINGHAM
I assume that you meant that he scored a goal every 2.5 games at Spurs and a goal every 2.25 games at United, otherwise you are looking at 95 goals a season in the league alone.
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