Never has there been a footballer who can split opinion like Dimitar Berbatov does. Since his move to Manchester United, many have debated as to the overall effectiveness of the Bulgarian striker.
Is he a genius, or is he a liability? Is he underapreciated, or is he overrated? These are questions which have been debated about time and time again.
Only Berbatov could score a hat-trick against Liverpool, score five goals in one match and finish as the golden boot winner, but find himself in a position where he is out of favour at his club and third choice striker.
There are two sides to this intriguing footballer. There is the genius of him: when he does things that the standard footballer cannot do. There is also a frustrating side to him, where he can be seen as lazy and inconsistent. Both have been displayed throughout his time at Man United.
Firstly, there is the good side of him. Admittedly, he did not find it often enough in his first two season, but he more than made up for that last season.
When he is on form, he can be as prolific as some of world football’s top strikers. His movement, positioning and link-up play make him a nightmare for any opposition defender when he is at his best. In the blink of an eye, he can produce moments of magic, like his overhead kick against Liverpool.
I think he works best when played as a lone striker. As I have said, he has excellent link-up play; however I feel that he struggles to show that when he is playing alongside a striker partner. He seems to show this to great effect when linking up with his wingers.
I would cite this as a major reason why he has struggled to maintain a starting place. Basically, his preferred system is one that Ferguson does not tend to use. Sir Alex has always been a manager who likes to stick by the traditional 4-4-2. That is not to say that Berbatov cannot play in this system, but I feel that he can be found wanting and struggles to involve himself in the play. There are notable exceptions, such as when he scored his treble against Liverpool.
When you add to this that Rooney and Hernandez have developed an understanding together, one which Berbatov cannot find with either man, you can see why he would not always feature from the beginning.
Some may say that he can be used as an impact sub, but he does not fit into this type of role. An impact sub is required to be fast and buzzing all over the pitch and should bring a fresh sense of energy to the team. Berbatov relies on his raw genius, not his speed or stamina. If you don’t start Berbatov, you might as well not use him at all.
While it is something that he has improved on, Berbatov has often gone missing on the big occasion. That may have been a major factor for his exclusion from the Champions League final squad in 2011.
He can also be very lazy at times. While he cannot be expected to be as energetic as someone like Rooney or Tevez is, I still feel he could put in more effort than he does at times.
This brings us to our big question, what should Sir Alex Ferguson do with him? If he is not going to feature regularly, is their a point in retaining his services?
Unlike players such as Tevez or Balotelli, he is not an extremely difficult personality to control. He is generally a quiet and dignifield individual, but every player can only watch from the sidelines for a limited period of time before they eventually demand the first team football they crave.
Ferguson understands this and with several clubs apparently interested in signing Berbatov, you could understand why he would be sold, when you not only consider his lack of playing time, but his age as well. He is now 30 years old; therefore his ability may drop soon.
At the same time, he is irreplaceable. If someone like Hernandez was to leave, it would be possible to replace him with another of football’s top poaching strikers.
Berbatov is different. He is unique. He cannot be replaced because there is absolutely nobody out there who you can honestly say has an identical style to him.
Personally, I would like to see him stay for another year. Even if he is not always playing, he helps add a level of depth to the club that is required to go the distance in a long season.Whether Sir Alex Ferguson will also see it this way is yet to be known.
Make of it what you will.
