Dimitar Berbatov – ‘Cantona’ of the wrong United era

When Dimitar Berbatov arrived in Manchester United in the summer of 2008, he was expected to be the new X-factor in Sir Alex’s all conquering side. Combining strength with flair, the Bulgarian was expected to jostle with the holy trinity of 2007/08 season – Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez – for a starting place in the Premier League and European champions’ exciting line up. The former Spurs man was seen by many quarters as a smart acquisition – as unlike the lightning fast ‘holy trinity’, Berbatov had the gift of playing the game at his own sweet pace and make an impact.

However, as things panned out, the Bulgarian slowly but surely found himself down the pecking order from Sir Alex Ferguson’s line up. From Rooney and Ronaldo to Welbeck and Chicharito, Berbatov has seen himself being overshadowed each season.

Ironically, Berbatov’s gift of playing the game at his own pace has turned out to be his biggest curse in the Manchester United setup. The ‘Theater of Dreams’ and the tradition it encompasses, appreciates slick passing and breathtaking counter attacks more than a slow yet creative build up. In fact, United’s game play of the last 6-7 years has been built around pacy wingers who hog the width of the pitch, aided by attackers with nitro boosters to make inroads in the opposition half.

Berbatov has always been an artistic player, more in the play-maker mode. At his best he seems an incarnation of United’s favorite son of the modern era – the mercurial Eric Cantona. Much like Cantona, Berbatov has an eye for magic, loves being the link man and loves creating goals as much as scoring them. However, the difference in eras is noticeable. When Cantona was in his pomp, the sport was not as fast moving as it is today; especially the Premier League of today where a punt forward is better than spending time in the midfield.

Manchester United though are the most European of teams in the Premier League – preferring to keep possession of the ball than relying solely on a long punt forward from the back. However, Berbatov here too faces an insurmountable task in the form of Wayne Rooney. The English international is eerily similar to Berbatov when it comes to the playmaker-cum-striker role. However, Rooney scores over Berbatov in his mobility; the English international’s pace helps him to spray the ball into the wings and then make a dart into the box to get into a goal scoring position. Berbatov on the other hand, remains content with spraying the ball around but when you are in a team primarily as striker, managers prefer you in the box than outside it. Chicharito and Welbeck on the other hand represent the threat of running beyond the last defender and always staying in and around the box; attributes that are not a strong part of the big Bulgarian’s game play.

Then there is the languid style of the Bulgarian to contend with. It is highlighted even more in United where fluid interplay and pacy co-attackers make the Bulgarian look pedestrian on even his best days. With Sir Alex demanding a shift from every one of his players and expecting his attackers to defend from the front, Berbatov comes short of the stated objectives.

To sum up, Berbatov is undoubtedly a great player but in a club that already has his supreme talents covered. His talents might be best suited to a team like the existing Arsenal side, who desperately need a quality link man between Van Persie and the 10 players behind him.