On April 2, I wrote about the injury Wayne Rooney sustained against Bayern Munich. I discussed Rooney's expected absence from the United lineup during a crucial period of fixtures and about how Dimitar Berbatov’s career at United would be judged by his performance while filling in for Rooney.
At the time, United were preparing to put their one-point lead in the Premiership on the line versus Chelsea, looking to overturn a 2-1 Champions League deficit against Bayern Munich, and finally facing Blackburn in a key league match all in the span of eight days.
With Rooney thought to be lost for a month it was clear United forward Dimitar Berbatov would take center stage to try to live up to the record price tag Sir Alex Ferguson paid for him.
After a 2-1 loss to Chelsea, a 4-4 aggregate score loss on away goals to Bayern Munich, and a 0-0 draw against an underwhelming Blackburn side, it's clear that United are a shadow of themselves without Rooney on the pitch. It’s also clear that Berbatov is not a world-class striker. Berbatov was nowhere to be found against Chelsea. I never realized just how slow he is until I watched that match.
The Premier League is the fastest league in the world and Berbatov looks like he is standing still. Berbatov is very capable when the ball is at his feet and he is in the box but Chelsea never let that happen. The one time he did get the ball in the box, instead of taking a quick shot, he tried to pull up and quickly lost possession. That kind of performance may have worked for his former clubs like Tottenham, Bayer Leverkusen or CSKA Sofia, but it isn’t good enough for Manchester United.
Berbatov did have a few chances to head the ball towards the net but his lack of accuracy with his head is staggering for someone who spends as much time as he does in the box. Berbatov played 90 minutes against Chelsea and registered just one shot on goal.
Rooney was a surprise start against Bayern Munich in the second-leg of their Champions League tie, relegating Berbatov to the bench. After Arjen Robben put Bayern into a winning position in the 74th minute, with Rooney already subbed out of the game, Ferguson brought Berbatov on in the 80th minute.
I saw Berbatov on the sideline preparing to enter the game but I can’t verify he ever came in. I watched the last 10-12 minutes and never saw him.
Can anyone verify he even played? Okay, maybe I am being a bit dramatic but you get the point. I checked the game log for help and found all zeros by his name.
I didn’t get to watch the Blackburn game Sunday but it doesn’t sound like I needed to. Berbatov not being able to score against BLACKBURN is possibly to biggest disaster of all. Of course the responsibility for the result, as well as the previous results, does not lie solely on Berbatov. I believe that, given his position and the amount of money United pay him to score goals, he should have done more. Berbatov played 90 minutes against Blackburn and registered just two shots on goal.
United are now out of the Champions League and barring a miracle they will not win the Premiership this year. Mark my words, Berbatov will be playing for another team next year. I think United will be happy to sell him for even half of the £30 million they paid for him just two years ago.
I think the signing of 21-year old striker Javier Hernandez from Mexican side Chivas THE DAY AFTER the loss to Bayern Munich tells us all we need to know about the confidence they have in Berbatov. After watching Berbatov play I am surprised United waited as long as they did to find his replacement.