THERE are fewer frustrating sights on a football field than when a footballer doesn’t appear to be trying. No matter how much you cheer him on from the terraces, or indeed your own sofa, it’s like water off a duck’s back. The player in question has most likely got to where he is by having the exact same ethos throughout his career, right from youth football up to the first time he pulled on a shirt for his country.
Take Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov for example. The Bulgarian is often seen pacing somewhat leisurely around a football pitch, waiting for precision balls to his feet for him to conjure up a moment of magic, ignoring the responsibility of tracking back to help his team-mates. The mercurial Eric Cantona was not too dissimilar throughout his United career, though the Frenchman was a warrior in leadership and spirit, if not in physical graft. Cantona set the example for a breed of younger players like David Beckham and Paul Scholes, inspiring them to put extra hours in on the training ground in which to hone their skills, and attempt to fulfil the premise of ‘practice makes perfect.’ Even a poor last showing in the 1996/1997 season couldn’t put a black mark on what had been a fabulous career at United, with the Frenchman still conjuring up the ability to score arguably his most iconic United goal – that chip against Sunderland.
This season’s hat-trick against arch-rivals Liverpool looked to have helped Berbatov gain the hearts of United supporters that had criticised his attitude and end-product for a club that had spent £30m on him early in the 2008/09 season. However, just as the saying ‘form is temporary/class is permanent’ goes, Berbatov looks unlikely to change his ways. The lethargic swagger around the pitch which Berbatov exhibits is simply his style, and United fans wishing to see moments of brilliance will also have to put up with the more incredulous times.
The hat-trick appeared to have helped Berbatov also win over his critics. A week earlier he had swept in a fantastic goal against Everton, and the striker appeared to brimming with confidence as he led a forward line that appeared to be coping admirably without Wayne Rooney. Since then however, Berbatov appears to have fell into the same inconsistent form as we have seen from him since he joined the club in 2008, and it is well publicised that he is not managed a single goal since the Liverpool game.
Yesterday’s omission from the starting line-up against Wigan saw Sir Alex Ferguson confessed that he had chosen to simply leave Berbatov out, and there was not even a place on the bench for him. The United boss admitted: "I just left him out - picking my subs today I just thought I had to give a different type of variety.”
This is not the first time the Bulgarian has been left out of match-day squad completely this season. Berbatov did not feature in United’s previous home fixture against Wolves, a game in which United were poor in and needed a last-minute goal by Ji Sung Park to secure three points. Earlier in the season, Ferguson admitted to making a mistake by not including Berbatov in the squad for the Champions League fixture against Glasgow Rangers, a match that saw both teams draw blank.
Ferguson has always defended Berbatov openly in the press, and was particularly in high praise for the striker after the Liverpool game. Ferguson said: "There's been a lot of criticism of him, which happens at this club when we sign someone for big money and he isn't scoring a hat-trick every week. But there has never been any question about his ability.
"Lots of questions were asked about him last season and he was made something of a whipping boy, to the point where he must have wondered whether he had a future at Old Trafford. We could have avoided the worst of the aggravation if people had only asked themselves two questions. Firstly they should have queried whether the man had real ability, and the answer for me was undoubtedly yes. Next they should have looked to see if he was a Manchester United kind of player and, again, I think there was no doubt about him. I concede that at times he seemed to struggle but if you are satisfied about a player's credentials you must persevere and trust your judgment."
However, Ferguson is astute enough to know when a player is in poor form, and is brave enough to take action. Defenders Johnny Evans and John O’Shea were seen as culpable for the poor defensive showings of United earlier in the season, and the United manager has given few minutes on the pitch to the two ever since. Alarmingly for Evans, the Northern Ireland international has not played a single minute since the 2-2 draw at Bolton. Rio Ferdinand’s return has of course hampered Evans’ chances of game-time, and Evans’ lack of versatility compared to O’Shea does not aid him, but Ferguson has clearly sent a message to the defender. Berbatov himself will be given no differential treatment.
Indeed it was the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa last weekend which prompted Ferguson’s surprising line-up yesterday against Wigan. United were poor in most areas at Villa Park, but the decision to replace both Berbatov and striker Javier Hernandez early in the second half was a sign that Ferguson had become ultimately frustrated with the output of United’s forward line. Berbatov may well have complained about a lack of service from a stagnant midfield, but one needs to only look at Sunderland’s Darren Bent to see that a striker can still score and lead the line effectively without world-class support. Hernandez, in his first season with the club, looks a fantastic prospect and has plenty more to offer, but Berbatov’s lacklustre performance must have given Ferguson some serious grievances about a player that cost the club £30m.
Berbatov started his career at United in a decent fashion. In the league, he reached double-figures in assists, and with a similar amount of goals to his own name he looked to have a bright future at Old Trafford. Indeed a couple of scrappy goals at home to Celtic in the Champions League gave a suggestion that Berbatov might well be the classy poacher that United have lacked since Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s departure in 2006.
For all the class that Berbatov possessed, the languid style of his football slowly frustrated the United fans that wanted him to become a legend. United fans the season previously had seen a fabulous front-three of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez bring home the Champions League as well as retain the Premiership title. That front-line had skill, power, pace and goals. Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2008, and Rooney and Tevez proved that having hard-working strikers blessed with an abundance of talent really is the best attributes a manager could want.
It was somewhat strange then that Ferguson chose to spend such money on an area that was arguably the best in Europe at the time, although the United manager may have already foreseen that Carlos Tevez would not have a long-term future with the club. The injury-prone Louis Saha would have also given Ferguson concerns about strength-in-depth, and the Frenchman was shipped off to Everton around the same time Berbatov was signed.
If Ferguson is looking to sell Berbatov this summer, United’s strength in depth is something he will have to consider, and it may well seal Berbatov’s fate.
Wayne Rooney will be looking to hit the same form he reached last season now he is back from injury, and few doubts remain that he will, once he wins over the United fans again. Hernandez is a fantastic talent with pace, goals, heading ability and technique, and it will be him and Rooney that will spearhead United’s title challenge. Young Federico Macheda still has his doubters amongst the Old Trafford faithful, but United’s backroom staff have undoubted faith in the Italian’s ability to improve. His terrific strike against Villa last week would have done him a world of good. Danny Welbeck has also shown signs of improvement during his loan spell at Sunderland, and Ferguson would have been delighted to see his young forward destroy Chelsea in last Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
Such young talent however, does lack the experience Ferguson craves, particularly when competing in Europe. Indeed, it was Berbatov’s experience, technique and patience that was expected to help United fare better, particularly as United (up till the 2007/2008 season), were struggling away from home. Unfortunately for Berbatov, Rooney’s improvement in operating as a main striker last year restricted his appearances. Such success with Rooney as the front man in a 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation inspired Ferguson to implement tactics in league games as well as in Europe.
Berbatov’s ability to bring others into the game is unrivalled at United, and this unselfishness hampered his own goal-scoring record. He had scored 15 league goals in his final season at Tottenham and thus looked to be a complete package when United finally showed serious interest in signing him. However, goals at United have generally been shared around throughout Ferguson’s reign, and this has been very much the case since Berbatov’s arrival.
The Bulgarian is often derived for being in deeper positions than United fans would like, despite these positions often being determined by the tactics of Ferguson himself. Berbatov would also have found it frustrating how he wasn’t picked for the ‘big’ fixtures last season, only thrust into the action against inferior opposition. Thus when he does get a chance he is often so starved of confidence by the manager that he is unlikely to get on the score-sheet, particularly as he is expected to threaten the goal from non-threatening, deep-lying positions.
It is becoming more and more apparent that Berbatov will most likely be playing his football elsewhere this time next year, despite Ferguson’s praise of the striker earlier this season. Loved more by football purists than fans and critics, the striker still has a good few years in him to leave his mark on the game, and will undoubtedly still have an important part to play this season for United. Neutrals would love to see Berbatov continue to play regularly in the Premiership, and players returning to Spurs and Harry Redknapp are not uncommon, but one hopes that his United career hasn’t damaged the confidence in which he used to use to enormous effectiveness.
