Dimitar Berbatov: The number 9 rises

Critics term him ‘lazy,’ but when Dimitar Berbatov scores, you can’t help but admire the classy Bulgarian. It would have hurt a lot to miss the Champions League final berth despite being the Premier League’s joint-top scorer. A horror miss against bitter rivals City in the FA Cup semi-final, who eventually went on to lift the cup seems to have cost him dearly. The man who netted a hat-trick three times in one season, including that memorable one against Liverpool where he scored probably the second best overhead kick (the first obviously being Wazza’s wonder shot against City) and hammered in an astonishing five goals in a game against a delusional Blackburn Rovers thereby joining an elite list of individuals, seems to be regaining his goal scoring touch, something that has eluded him for the greater part of his Manchester United career. Berbatov scored his 50th Manchester United goal against Fulham at Craven Cottage in midweek with a cheeky back-heel finish. His composed reaction after the goal showed just how relieved he was at getting off the mark this season after being sidelined for the best part of it. The man who was the top scorer last season in the Premier League had been confined to the bench this season. The Bulgarian seems to have fallen down the pecking order after the meteoric rise of Javier Hernandez last season and the sublime form Danny Welbeck has shown this season.

Earlier this season, Berbatov squandered a golden chance against Chelsea when he failed to convert a Wayne Rooney pass but thankfully Fernando Torres stole the honors with his horrific open-goal-miss. Even Ramires and Rooney ended up missing thereby making it a “game of misses”. Berbatov had made a few appearances this season and the goals had been drying up but yesterday’s hat-trick against Wigan seems to have reminded a few about just how deadly Berbatov can be when he is firing on all cylinders. The first goal was a clever one – he held off the defender with his body weight and slotted it in. Had a good look at that critics? The second one was what you can call “typical Berbatov”. A lightning quick turn and a toe-jab which sent the ball into the top corner of the net, oozing classiness all over the pitch. The third one was an icy-cool penalty which somewhat mitigated the horror memories of that missed penalty during the 2008–09 FA Cup final against the Toffees.

Javier Hernandez, who, although prodigiously gifted at scoring from inside the box, lacks the composure of Berbatov when it comes to creating goals and is definitely a mile behind in the finishing department. We often criticize Berbatov for being a tad too lazy and often his prolonged goal drought seems to irk the fans, but it is a well known fact that Berbatov was brought in to balance the team. He is a complete opposite of Wayne Rooney when it comes to being level-headed and slowing down the pace of the game. This new year might just mark the change in fortunes for the forgotten number 9. The fifty goal barrier breached, the goal drought in European competitions ended, a hat-trick in the bag! Is this a sign for good things to come? Will the Bulgarian break into the side yet again and prove to his employer that he still has something left in him to offer to the team’s title campaign?