Why are Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick still in Manchester United's plans?

To the majority of Manchester United supporters, Berbatov and Carrick should all be dropped from the squad. The Old Trafford faithful seem to be constantly perplexed that their all-conquering manager continually chooses these two, despite their obvious faults. Why, oh why, can’t poor Alex see these obvious deficiencies?

Dimitar Berbatov

Why is he hated?

The terraces are used to the tireless energy of players, and the limp, and seemingly uninterested, efforts of Berbatov doesn’t exactly popularize him. From Duncan Edwards to Nobby Stiles to Bryan Robson to Wayne Rooney, United fans cheer on those players that wear their heart on their sleeves, and give their all for the team, even if it’s a losing cause. While this is understandable, it has gone beyond normal standards for Dimitar Berbatov. A striker who scores 21 goals in little more than half a season, including a hattrick against their biggest rivals, would be lauded as the next coming of Christ by fans. However Berbatov’s lack of back pedaling and his lazy langour seem to have nullified all possibilities of him ever becoming a fan favourite.

Why does SAF continue to pick him?

While Berbatov does seem to have been relegated to the sidelines for the last 6 months, there is a quite valid reason as to why Berbatov was repeatedly chosen ahead of Carlos Tevez during United’s quadruple chasing season of 08/09. He brings something to side, that almost no forward in the world has as much of: technique. He can drop a 70-yard cross like it was tapped from a yard away, he can hold off players seemingly without even noticing them, and, most impressively, he has the vision and the temperament to thread through passes which other players wouldn’t notice if they had an hour on the ball. He even has quite a turn of pace, as demonstrated on a repeated basis in the opposition third. However his biggest advantage, his ability to create time and space, is also his greatest flaw. While it has the obvious advantage of giving him the opportunity of envisioning attacks, it also slows down the game tremendously. United’s main advantages are their tireless running and the lightning-quick counter-attacks, both of which were incompatible with his playing style. He was used by SAF, because United didn’t have a player who not only had his presence and goal-scoring ability, but who could also work within the United system. Owen was bought for this reason, but his speed was left behind in Madrid with his reputation, and his technique didn’t come close to matching Berbatov’s.

However in the last 6 months two strikers, Hernandez and Welbeck, have appeared. They both have the speed and goal-scoring prowess to fit into the United formation, and while they may not possess Berbatov’s technique, they don’t need it at the moment, as United seem to be cruising along without too many offensive problems. However, instead of berating Berbatov as a 32 million pound waste of bench space, United fans should perhaps be happy to know that they have probably one of the most technically-gifted players in the world on the bench, ready to give their attack a different dimension, that they will surely need sometime throughout the course of the season.

Micheal Carrick

Why is he hated so much?

In the double winning season of 2007/08, Carrick was the drive behind the success. He was the deep-lying playmaker and the passmaster who found Ronaldo and Rooney, out wide on the wings, with 60-yard passes of unbelievable accuracy. He was the man who made the team tick, and was even labelled United’s most important player by several pundits. Today, he fails to pass furthur than 10 yards, and it seems that everything he does is sideways at best. Gone is the mercurial vision and passing ability, all that remains is a cautious and unlikable waste of a first XI spot. I think the biggest disappointment for United fans is that Carrick had all the qualities to be the next Paul Scholes. The confidence, the vision, the passing ability and the unnerving consistency. However, he seems to have failed on accounts. Or has he?

Why does SAF continue to pick him?

Whether you are a Liverpool supporter or a United sympathiser, everyone pities the unlucky Hargreaves. He was the player whose injuries stopped him from becoming a legend. While everyone knows his story, and his quite unfortunate downward spiral, no one realises the effect it still has on the much berated Carrick. In 07/08 United’s central midfield consisted of the demolisher, Hargreaves, and the creator, Carrick, as many top-notch midfields are required to have. Both players had great stamina, and ran box-to-box for their team. The combination of their different talents led to achievements of Sir Alex’s greatest season since 1998/99.

However, starting in 08/09, Hargreaves started getting injured on a frequent basis. Anyone who has watched United over the last few seasons knows that their title-winning sides are based on defensive solidity, rather than offensive flair. 2007/08 saw only 22 league goals conceded, while 08/09 saw the remarkable, record-breaking defensive run that was founded on Van Der Sar’s heroics between the posts. Thus Carrick’s attacking acumen was sacrificed for the greater good of the team, as he was pushed back to fill Hargreaves’ old position. This nullifying of his ability was necessary, because he was the only player who had the defensive ability. Fletcher, while tireless, was not as talented. Anderson, while talented, was not as defensive or experienced. And, finally, John O’Shea, while versatile, was never as intelligent. That left the unfortunate Carrick. His selflessness to devote himself to United, has quite unfairly been rewarded with scorn by the Old Trafford faithful. And the worst part of it, is that today, at 30, Carrick has no chance of ever returning to his favored attacking midfield position. The new arrivals of Cleverly and Anderson on the United stage, along with SAF’s continued decision to neglect the defensive midfield position, means that if Carrick wants to continue playing at the highest level, he has to play out of position. This too maybe an uncertainity with the arrival of Jones, who SAF certainly sees at a defensive midfield option, as shown by his deployal at Anfield.

Carrick has been extremely under-appreciated by United fans, but luckily for the Red Devils’ supporters, SAF is not blighted by popularity and continues to play him, thereby creating a continuity in United’s defense, which has seen 11 different backlines in the last 12 games.