Aug 18
The Tuesday Tantrum: A Burning Berbatov Cocktail
Elegant. Graceful. Patient. Methodical. If you could lineup your knuckles perfectly, would you knock out every single teeth in Berbatov’s mouth? Or would you leave one individual front tooth hanging, a testament to the depths of your disdain?
Sir Alex fielded a slick-passing 4-4-2 against Birmingham, with Scholes and Fletcher providing muscle and Nani and Valencia as delegated flair specialists. The movement, combination play, and awareness impressed in all regions of the field. All, that is, but one.
Berbatov was the desolate island amid a tidal wave of counter attacks. His game suffers from chronic Veronitis – a strong preference to lay off the ball, apply minimal pressure, and hope to sneak by the offside trap. Like Veron, the two are continental kings, but such fine wine tastes sour with the fish and chips of the Premiership.
To retain its crown, United needs three points home-and-away from Birmingham, Hull, Wolverhampton, and Stoke. While continental defenders may pass circles around advancing forwards, high pressure against lower tier Premier League sides is a recipe for quick and relatively easy goals. But to pressure, the fitness and conviction must be present.
When was the last time you saw Berbatov run onto a 50-50 ball against a rival goalkeeper? Or the last time he went to ground for a tackle? Yes, he does drop back and help with link-up play from time-to-time, but rarely will he make a defender sweat in his own box.
Never have I wanted to impersonate a drill sergeant and shake a player more badly than Berbatov. Until his game develops an aggressive edge, he will be the major malfunction in the United offensive machine. I respect his game, but it’s not suited to the the west side of the channel. Compared to his peers, he is indecisive, slow, and hesitant.
Elliott is the editor of the excellent Futfanatico blog.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Daily News Round Up: Sir Alex On Retirement And The Glazers, Plus Life Lessons From Rio
- Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland: Berbatov Bags A Brace But Anderson Is The Real Star
- Charlie Adam to Liverpool
- Four League Wins in a Row for United?
- Man Utd v Tottenham: Preview
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
Stephen (485)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (346)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
@Dan: Totally agree with you Dan. I don’t know who this new contributor is but Elliot, football is not designed for just the blue collar types of the world. We all appreciate a little hard work and the necessity for getting our hands dirty from time to time but what you are forgetting here is that Berbatov is not Carlos Tevez. Berbatov is an artist as opposed to Tevez being a plumber. Now you may have no respect for artists and may think the world of plumbers, especially if your toilet is overflowing, but what makes this great game the great game that it is will always be the artist.
I am so tired of the blue collar utilitarian influence on the game. Players who work their asses off and give a 110% all the time are fine but at the end of the day they accomplished sweet fuck all. I much prefer the smart, discerning, calculating and energy conserving artisan who turns it on when he needs to but when he does, what he produces is not just magical and sublime, but will stay in our memories for ever. Berbatov may be lazy in your mind but he’s smart in mine. He is thrifty when it comes to using up his energy reserve but tell me how many other players at the striker position do you know of that have the vision to distribute and the first touch that this man possesses? I’ll tell you how many……….NONE. In my 50 years of life I have watched many a great football player and many great strikers and I have yet to see a striker that has the delicate ability to first touch a ball like Berbatov. I have only seen a handful that can pass like him or who have the imagination to make the kind subtle moves and passes that he does. And he’s not a bad finisher to boot.
You see, I have watched Berbatov way back to his Bayer Leverkusen days. I see what he does well and I see what he doesn’t do well. Working super hard to track back or lunge in and make a sliding tackle and play like Rooney is not his game, but then again I don’t think it should be part of any striker’s game. Ferguson has always demanded far too much of this shite from his forwards and I for one am here to say that Ferguson is categorically dead wrong on this. A striker’s job is to score goals and cause pressure on the opposition back four and keeper. Like our defenders job is to keep the ball out of our net and support our keepers, we are not expecting them to score goals and become offensive threats. It goes both ways. Sure they may score an occasional goal off a set piece but that for me is the only time a forward should be back in our third of the pitch, protecting against a set piece.
Dimitar Berbatov is a highly skilled exceptional player but he may not fit the present style of play that we use today for Manchester United. Again for the umpteenth time I will use the square peg in a small round hole example. Berbatov would be exceptional and every bit the killer Ibrahmiovich was in Italy. And to be honest, he is every bit as good a player if not better than Ibrahimovich. The difference is Berba conserves his energy and uses it where and when he sees as necessary. Zlatan on the other hand is just lazy and does not care to get involved in hard work or in games where he may get roughed around. He avoids penalty areas against top teams because he gets the odd elbow or push and he can’t handle that. Frankly, he is gutless and has no heart. Berba’s guilty of being told to play too high up and to be an Emile Heskey on our team. Well he is great at holding up the ball and bringing everyone into play but he does not have the pace or the physicality to then show up in the box and score after having played so high. That’s not his fault.
Quite frankly, Berbatov needs to play on an Italian team that incorporates the continental style of play at a slower pace. We play continental football but we also incorporate the British style with it’s width and over reliance on wide players. This is nothing more than a mass of confusion for him and it requires too much from him to process and to keep up with. The King, the great Eric Cantona was also not known for being a hard worker and for tracking back. He played high up which shows because in the end his goal tally for United was good but not van Nistelrooyish. What Cantona did back in those simpler 4-4-2 days was hold the ball up, distribute and then show up at the end to possibly slot one home off a rebound, at the end of a play at the back post or hit one from just outside of the box. He had great imagination, vision and ability to distribute incredible passes to forwards and others who would score and that is what he is remembered for. Berbatov is not the King, but he is pretty close to his style of play. Unfortunately for him, he is not allowed to play the King’s role the way Cantona played it because we are not playing the old traditional 4-4-2 system that Eric was so comfortable playing within.
Do all of you remember how much more dynamic and successful Berbatov was with Spurs? That was because they mostly used an old school 4-4-2 and he was able to play off of a defender and as a second striker. Basically, he was able to play the Wayne Rooney role and in a very simple system that allowed him the time and space to create. Unfortunately he has come to a team that is playing a hybrid system designed to confuse and perplex. From one game to another you never know what you are going to get from Fergie. 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-2-2. 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1 and all designed at different speeds and asking players like Rooney, Berbatov and others to play out of position and to perform duties that are unnatural to them. Sorry but Berbatov’s energy and style of play is not the culprit here. Sir Alex Ferguson is the culprit. Ronaldo’s style and selfishness is gone. This should help Berba a lot, but then again, Fergie is the biggest obstacle in the way of Berba’s success. So lets stop the Berba bashing and put the lunch boxes away. Enough of this boring and dull blue collar BS that many fans have become obsessed with. Berba is an artist and all artists need the right canvas to paint on. He accomplishes more in his languid half asleep manner than Tevez ever did in his blue collar nothing at the end of things ways. I prefer, class, substance and style over hard work with no skill. I guess that is why Wayne Rooney is a gift form the Gods. He has it all as well as the blue collar mentality. Truly a rarity in any sport.
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What’s amazed me RR, is not Elliot article backlash, but that the bloggers THUS FAR have stayed on topic. MOSTLY anyway. Nowthat is amazing!
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@Grognard: I think he appreciates “artistic” players, over blue collar ethic. The crux of what he’s said has more to do with the fact that he feels Berbatov does not suit our style which expects our strikers to be more aggressive because our game relies on pace on the counter.
Actually here’s a pretty good piece by Elliott on Argentine football and if you, Grognard, love art and history I think you might appreciate this piece.
Anyway, that was my take on Elliott’s piece, although I’ll let him speak for himself and respond.
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@Craig Mc:
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@indianred: Thanks for the kind words.
Welcome to “The Family”. You know that to be a full member you have to go through some serious tests that will stretch your patience to the limit. It includes murder, robbery and trying to get past me on a football pitch. 
Good luck mate!
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@Dan: WHATTE FUCK!?!?!!?
Im not going to Portugal, Im going to Italy.
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@Dan: oops…
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@Red Ranter: I wish you wouldn’t keep talking about PIECES RR. I only ever heard that word used in the USA, and it always referred to HANDGUNS
.
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@Craig Mc: Really? Ok I will refer them to articles or essays, if I can help it. But I can’t promise you anything, like a certain greasy winger would say, only God knows.
On re-reading my comment I realise I’ve used far too many ‘pieces’ than necessary.
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@Grognard: I agree with every word!
I feel like a right know though, you went through a lot of effort to post that comment, and i come back with a 1 liner
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@Dan:
Naiz 
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@Footy4Eddy: Inter milan?
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@Dan: >_<
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@Red Ranter: Actually Elliot and I are in agreement over the fact that Berbatov does not fit our style. That was made clear in my rant. What I argued over was the fact that he made Berbatov sound like a lazy player who does not give that extra effort or dive tackle etc. That’s where I got on him a bit for the blue collar BS. Berbatov is a fantastic player being forced to play in a system that suits very few skilled players. It’s a workaholic system designed around a continental framework. Two systems that are complete contrasts and mirror opposites of each other yet that is what we are playing. A wide 4-4-2 with continental pace (or lack of) blending ball retention and supposed short passing with players who are to far apart from each other to make it work properly.
Honestly, I don’t get it? That’s what killed us in Rome too. We played with too much width in a 4-3-3 and were not able to keep ball retention because very few of our passes were of the short variety. Fergie is stuck between totally adopting the Italian game while still wanting to keep remnants of the English game also. That just doesn’t work and players like Berbatov suffer for it. Also, lets not forget Fergie’s usage of players. He often uses them out of position and in ways that does not utilize their strengths. All for the team cause yet I ask myself how can it be better for a team to keep Rooney way out left and away from the goal and Berbatov playing the role of an attacking midfielder but with his back to the goal? Berbatov is an innocent victim I’m afraid but it’s also clear that he just may not ever fit our system. Time will be the best judge of that I guess.
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@Dan: Just agreeing with me Dan is reward enough.
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@Footy4Eddy: Bang, i got it. Mourinho wants you!
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@Grognard:
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Elliott Tucker, Sir, you are a knob!
Kudos for (most of) my fellow redranters to not let themselves fooled by such a caricatural and provocative piece of writing.
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@NicoQB:
I think its safe to say he wont be writing for us again…
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@Dan: Even though that senatnce may be true, it just sounds weird!
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@Craig Mc: Now Craig mate, that’s as untrue a statement as it can get.
Tunneled vision the berba? The guy who has eyes in the back of his head for flicked through balls et al.?
@Beachryan: Agree.
@Alan: Agree.
@Gabriel: Spot on about the midfield. I’ve said it time and again – the reason why berbatov’s performances suffered is mainly due to the gutlessness of our Central Midfield.
@Red Ranter: Its not the fact that he criticsed a holy cow. Its more to do with the fact that he went for style instead of substance – the commentors here have done a much better job of analysing the flaws of his game (yes, he does has a few) and putting it in pperspective of our general game plan.
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@Dan:
I’d like to see him try! 
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@Footy4Eddy: Says Rio:
You just got merked!!!
But seriously, Italy? Good luck! Coulda been much worse but let’s hope those italians finally realize that you have to give youth thier chance or else they’re going to fuck off to Man utd! Not that you wouldn’t mind!
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@NicoQB: I sort of expected this reaction from you anyway. Very kind words indeed.
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@Grognard: Berbatov in my opinion is a midfield playmaker trapped in a striker’s body. His languid style suits a midfielder in the Riquelme mould. And he needs a dynamic central midfielder who can make forward runs enough to do one-twos with him. We don’t have anyone (perhaps Gibson if he improves his game) at the moment.
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@Grognard: I’m still willing to believe that Berbatov will fit in our system, but otherwise, I agree with most of what you said.
One thing too about Cantona is that he had world class midfield enforcers doing their job – Ince, Keane… Berbatov does not have that luxury and tracks back to try to get involved in the game.
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@NicoQB: Who said I was gonna sign for an Italian team?
I just said I would not travel to Portugal, but to Italy… I have family in Italy, and go there every year. Never said anythign about Inter or Italy for that matter, I will still keep you guessing. 
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Oh dear Chelski are losing.
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Berba’s laziness is frustrating to watch
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@Cyclops-Red: I’ll believe it when I see the full time score. It’s still 1-0 approaching HT.
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@Red Ranter: Yeah, but hopefully Agent Bruce can fire up his troops for another 45 mins.
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Would be nice to see Brucey take 3 of those precious points off of Chelski tho…45mins here we go.
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Oh dear 1-1, was inevitable thou like RR said, full time is all that counts.
Ballacks.
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@Red Ranter: I agree. I was saying this last season that what he needs is a midfielder who will combine better with him. For a while Carrick was doing a good job at forging a real understanding with him on the pitch but then again, Carrick is so inconsistent that it never lasts. He may be an attacking midfielder trapped inside a strikers body but the fact still remains, he is a striker and he needs to be utilized in a manner that brings out his best. And that has not happened.
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@NicoQB: Excellent point about Cantona. Yes he did have real hard working no nonsense box to box enforcers in Kean, Ince, and Butt. Berbatov has a bunch of timid pretenders.
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I think that Berba is a better player than tevez, but I still feel that Tevez is far better than berba when it comes to fitting in at United. Tevez may have been a poor mans rooney, but he still had a knack for popping up with big time goals. Also tevez and Rooney had a decent understanding of one another. Whenever I see Berba out there, he just looks out of place. I think the comparison to veron is a fair and accurate one. They are both class players, but they are circle pegs trying to fit into square holes.
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What a nonsense article. Completely ignoring his holding, link up play, flick pass to Nani for the goal, headed clearance from a Birmingham corner and the numerous flicks tricks and constant perfect good touch he did nothing all day.
If only we had a midget who looks like a wet dog with the first touch of a brick wall eh?
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@NicoQB: Wake up Nico Bro, I said tunnel vision where the wings are concerned – doh!
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@NicoQB: Just because you don’t agree with Elliot, does not make him a knob
. He just has a different view on Berba to you that’s all. 
And I CAN SAFELY SAY he will be writing for this blog again. What do you lot think just because you are so scary, that he will hightail it out of here, never to be heard of again – I don’t think so – why should he. 
.
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Besides, Elliot is the only one so far who has kept a thread on topic – well until the games started tonight I see.
I’ll tell you what – I have NEVER seen such woeful football as Sunderland are dishing up
. For a Steve Bruce side they are painfully bloody horrible. Chelsea should be about 6-1 up 
.
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@Grognard: Quote – “just agreeing with me Dan is reward enough.” – OH PLEASE give us a break
.
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@Red Ranter:
, Bits and pieces, I’m in pieces, Bits and pieces 
, you know that song right?
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Shit another chelsea comeback! bloody hate those bast***s but anyway about berba. I agree with RR, he is a “attacking mid (riquelme player) stuck in a strikers body” But i think since we bought him as a striker and we need him to score a lot of goals this season we need him to stay put in that position because even though he is not the most prolific of strikers he will be even less prolific if he is employed as a “riquelme” position. I just wish the partnership between him and rooney would be amazing but i hope it gets a lot better in due course of the season. What also would be great is for nani and skinned sausage to have an even better partnership than ronaldo and the frenchie!
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@johnsom33: And just recently you were getting on my back for bringing back the comparison of Tevez with Rooney!
Now what I think:
- Its a myth that Tevez and Rooney developed a good understanding partnership. Arguably in the Tevez’s first season here but I wouldn’t say that it was the case last season and even then Tevez, if you need reminding, was very poor in his decision making, barely ever passing the ball when other players were in good positions. When Rooney strikes the right balance between his great passing game and his selfish streak – and he doesn’t find it that often – any half decent striker would develop a good parntership with him.
@johnsom33: Now please don’t start believing that Veron comparison nonsense. This was just something invented by the rags in britain looking for some selling story. They just want Berbatv to fail so they can use this story to fill their columns.
And to Elliott Tucker, Veron:
- Was dogged by injuries
- Not played in his proper position
- Was not made to feel part of the United family by the resenting Keane (who basically admitted his mistake) and Scholes.
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Michael Owen > Dimitar Berbatov
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@Footy4Eddy: Classic case of an urchin being caught with the hand in the cookie jar and trying to come up with a story of sorts.
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@Craig Mc: Off the top of my head I remember berbatov releasing Ronaldo for a counterattack in the Tottenham game last season. He also had that good one-two with Pak against Brum. Plus I think he assisted for Nani during the preseason.
Berbatov can be called many things, but having tunneled vision is not one of them, even for the wings.
@Craig Mc: Well RR did give the green light to use the flowery language, so after reading his PIECE I didn’t hold back!
@Footy4Eddy: actually, I may agree with you, in a way, as its obvious to me that his teammates want him to succeed more than Berbatov. Berbatov is often in good positions but not receiving the ball, whereas players will actually look for Mickey Owen…
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@NicoQB: I didn’t give any green light for any flowery language — I guess, sarcasm doesn’t come across well over the internet.
Just because I forewarned someone about the chances of opening up themselves for criticism doesn’t mean you can just say anything that comes in your head.
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Yeah Nico Bro – like RR says, he didn’t give you licence to call our guest writer a knob – you knobhead Nico
. Sorry Bro I could resist jesting! But is that sarcastic enough for you RR 
. Good job Nico knows me and my kidology isn’t it? 
.
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What is apparent is that Berbatov has a free pass with his supporters. It is never his fault. It is our midfield. It is our system. It is Fergie playing him wrong.
No-one has any doubts that he is a great player. But the jury is out on whether he is a great Manchester United player!
I’m sorry but a world class player should be able to succeed in any team. Berbatov is not a failure by any means but I really do not see him scoring the 25 goals we require from him if we are going to do well this season.
For me his biggest faults:
1. For a striker he is not aggressive enough in the box. He takes one shot a game. He just seems to expect the ball to fall into his lap. I’m sorry but in football you have to shout for the ball and let your teammates know where you want it.
2. He has spent a season playing with us and he does not seem to have adapted the least bit to the way we play. He is an intelligent player and has good vision so he needs to release the ball earlier so he doesn’t slow up our fast football.
3. He drifts in and out of games. The whole silent assasin thing is nice but he needs to be more influential. He doesn’t cause defences enough problems for 90% of the game.
4. He has never produced for us in the really big games for us. Cantona wasn’t prolific by any means but when it mattered he provided the goals and the genius.
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