Yesterday after a 19 pass move, Dimitar Berbatov put the Community Shield to bed with a nice lob over the on rushing Hilario. Many would have been screaming for him to pass to Hernandez who was free to his right but as we’ve seen before Berbatov turned on the magic. His goal made it 3-1 and killed off what was a spirited attempt to comeback by Chelsea.
When he scored the whole team made a point of joining him in celebrating and I don’t just think it was because he had killed the game off. After the game Nemanja Vidic spoke of the pressure Berbatov had been under last season and that he hoped that Berbatov would get more goals this term and the way he has been playing in preseason he appears ready for the challenge of finally living up to his hefty price tag.
Everybody knows of Berbatov’s immense talent, he does things that make you gasp, rewind and search YouTube but he has always seemed to struggle with the pressures of playing at United and showing this immense talent consistently. Last season in Rooney’s injury enforced absence he came under heavy criticism after he failed to star and score the goals that would win us the league.
Berbatov has looked good in preseason, scoring as well as in terms of performance and yesterday was no different. He was quick to play down the goal and the player’s reaction but it must have done a lot for his confidence to score, against Chelsea and for the other players to react the way they did. This isn’t to say that he will automatically become a goal machine but it is pretty clear for many to see that Berbatov is a confidence player, when he feels he has the support of the team and fans behind him he is at his brilliant best but when the fans and press are on his back he can seem disinterested which doesn’t make the situation any better but his confidence must be pretty high after a good couple of weeks.
The addition of Javier Hernandez may also have an affect. The two looked good together and yesterday some good play from Hernandez almost put Berbatov on the goal sheet earlier. The two provide an excellent alternative to Rooney alone and I think would provide enough to get goals as well as put the fear into opposing defences.
Sir Alex Ferguson called Berbatov a genius after yesterday and feels this season could be the season when he finally cracks it and well and truly becomes a United player. I don’t see why not, every genius has his flaws but it is because of this that when they shine they shine brightest.
Amidst all the talk of our emerging strikers, a consistent Berbatov could be one of the biggest difference makers for us. Additionally, if another forward steps up, I think it would only help Berba as it would ease some pressure off of him and also allow him to focus on his playmaking strengths.
Funny the difference a year makes when we were anxious over our lack options up front. Now we’re in a position where it looks to be our greatest depth and may soon be the envy of most teams. Hell, imagine Owen stays fit and plays to the form he was beginning to find before his injury. We won’t even have enough competitions to utlize all of our options!