English Premier League: Winners of the fourth league weekend – Part 3
Three one leading, most would have thought that Manchester United will cruise the rest of the game as they usually do. Three one leading, Fergie would have started thinking about his lineup against Rangers in midweek but such is this sport called football that it doesn’t fail to surprise. Anytime one considers football as predictable it comes out and tells us that it is anything but.
Manchester United were hardly winners on the weekend. They went to sleep in all honesty for the last five minutes of the match and the carnage that came out as a result was everyone for to see at the Goodison Park. However, one man has defied all criticism so far for United. So far for Manchester United, their most maligned striker has proven everyone that he still has that old goal scoring touch which he showcased so frequently in London.
That man is none other than Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov rose to prominence with Tottenham in the English Premier League, a team which was battling for a top four place back then and regularly finishing second best to the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal. A team which after signing Berbatov came to life and started playing not only attractive football but in doing so, they changed their style of play to their new Bulgarian super star.
Berbatov joined Tottenham in 2006. In his first season at Hotspurs, after his arrival from the Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen, Dimitar took no time in settling in at Tottenham as he banged in twenty three goals in forty nine appearances in all competitions. In his second season at the London club, he scored twenty three again, this time in fifty two games. At Bayer Leverkusen, Berbatov was at his most productive as he scored twenty six times in forty four games in the 2004-2005 season. In the 2005-2006 season, he netted twenty four goals in thirty eight games.
The Bulgarian’s strike record is quite marvellous and therefore when he joined Manchester United in 2008, many believed that Ferguson had added excessively to his already potent strike force. But the difference between Manchester United and the club’s that Berbatov had featured for before was that for United, every game is like a cup final. Such are expectations of the fans at Old Trafford, every time Manchester United plays; they are expected to win, regardless of whoever is on the opposite side of the field.
Such extreme pressure was not suited to Berbatov’s game and therefore his performances quickly went down. For a man who cost the red devils a good part of a thirty million pound fee, this was unacceptable and soon fans began to turn against him. His languid style which is centred on skill rather than sweat is something that surprised the Manchester United fans and therefore he found it hard to earn their trust with stars like Ronaldo and Tevez in the team.
At the end of the 2008-2009 season, Ronaldo and Tevez were shown the door at Old Trafford and Berbatov was entrusted by his manager to take the lead in playing as the club’s striker. Alongside Wayne Rooney in the 2009-2010 season, Berbatov again flattered to deceive and only managed a mere twelve goals. However, in the 2010-2011 season up till now, Dimitar has been on fire.
He has been playing with a drive and a hunger in his eyes that was absent in his first two seasons at United. He has already scored in three of United’s total number of four games in the English Premier League this season. His tally reaches up to five if one includes his goal in the Community Shield against Chelsea in a pre-season match.
Berbatov scored for Manchester United against Everton too and despite the result at the end, he has been hailed as one of the most outstanding players for the Red Devils from their disappointing draw against Everton.
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