English Premier League: Manchester United and Dimitar Berbatov must step up this weekend
Manchester United play their first league game, ever since the war of words between Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney surfaced in the English media. It is expected to be a staunch test of character for United who travel to Stoke
City to face Tony Pulis’s side which is not exactly filled with stars but one thing is for sure that Stoke will give Manchester United a stern test that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side must be well prepared for.
United have always prided themselves in recovering from their failures, that is exactly the kind of attitude that is required at the Britannia stadium when the Red Devils take the field against the Potters. With the talks still
going on amongst Wayne Rooney’s advisors and agent and the Old Trafford management, anything is possible before the match even kicks off.
Many United fans believe that there is no longer a place for Rooney in their hearts and in their club’s team squad as well but that can very well change because the club released a statement yesterday saying that they are holding
negotiations with Rooney at the moment.
If Rooney does indeed leave, Manchester United will firstly look for leaders from within their squads. Leaders are not hard to find at Old Trafford but the two main men in Sir Alex Ferguson’s team, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are
set to retire within the next two years.
United must replace these two players with credible world class players in the future but right now they should focus solely on putting Stoke to the sword. It is not as if the task that they are being sent forth to achieve is an
impossible but Ferguson’s men have not on their travels in the 2010-2011 season which gives this match a totally different spin altogether.
When Ronaldo left Old Trafford in the summer of 2009, Wayne Rooney stepped up to fill in his shoes but now it is Dimitar Berbatov’s turn to fill in for Rooney’s inspirational essence as the strikers departure looks more likely
than ever. It is quite possible that Rooney might have played his last game for United already thus; Berbatov must for the sake of his club and their future take up the mantle of leading the Red Devils from the front.
The short term damage done by Rooney’s betrayal at Old Trafford is sure to surface sooner rather than later as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to not only challenge Chelsea for the title yet again but also contain the growing influence
and power of Manchester City. In the last club football season, Rooney netted 32 goals, a mark that Berbatov will do well to reach.
The Bulgarian has done exceptionally well to start off the season in sparkling form, form that has seen him rise to the top of the scoring charts in the English Premier League. Another that must step up for United is their goal
keeper, in the game against West Bromwich Albion; Manchester United gave up a two goal lead to draw two all.
This fiasco took place when Edwin Van Der Sar fumbled a cross from the right hand side of Bromwich’s attack to gift a goal to Roberto Di Matteo’s side. The Dutchman’s error caused Manchester United to drop crucial points at Old
Trafford, something that they cannot afford to do so again if they are to compete against Chelsea and Manchester City for the English Premier League title.
As Sir Alex Ferguson’s career has progressed, he has not only improved his Manchester United side but also focused upon youth. If there was ever a time for the Scot’s belief in youth to pay off it is now, with Rooney departing
Macheda, Hernandez, Gibson and Evans will be given a chance to feature in the first team. All that remains to be seen now is that how well United cope with the loss of their English national striker, Wayne Rooney.
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