Whilst Dimitar Berbatov still has his critics, the fans who were slating him not so long ago are slowly turning in his favour. The guy is a cut above and if you can block out the myth of him being ‘lazy’ when you watch him play, it is a lot easier to enjoy what he has to offer.
He had been desperate for a move to Manchester United over the past two summers and was finally granted his wish during the last minutes of the transfer window. Since then, Berbatov claimed he was desperate to become part of a team that had really won something, after just getting to listen in on the conversations about our past successes.
Now Berbatov has a English Champions medal, he should be a lot happier and calmer, but he has revealed today that on occasion he will shake with nerves before kick-off.
“I am still nervous but, when you play for the biggest club in the world, you are sometimes shaking before you go on the pitch,” said Berbatov. “Sometimes I show it with my hands or by screaming on the pitch but sometimes it’s the other way around. I know people sometimes say I don’t mind what happens but, trust me, I feel it very hard. If I don’t show it on my face, inside I’m a really happy guy. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself because, in some games, I haven’t shown my 100 per cent. Everyone has the right to an opinion. Half the people might like me, the other half might not — I just try to make the non-believers into believers.”
Berbatov has also revealed that the titles the club have are enough inspire anyone to get out on the pitch and do great things.
“When you’re in the tunnel and you hear ‘Please welcome the champions of England, the champions of Europe and the champions of the world’, you believe you’re going to crush anybody in your way.”
Quality.
Man Utd News 24/7
but he never has any nervous 1st touches, lol
the last para above is just brilliant by Berba.i also notice there is a touch of lazy elegance in his goal celebration too
“When you’re in the tunnel and you hear ‘Please welcome the champions of England, the champions of Europe and the champions of the world’, you believe you’re going to crush anybody in your way.” So this how it feels to be a United player!
Quality indeed scott
i was in the pub last night trying to orginise stupid things to do to the stag at a stag party(suggestions needed) when the “tevez is the greatest player ever berbatov is lazy and crap” conversaition came up. I ended up given up on some of them and just got a peice of paper from the lounge girl and wrote doen 26/5/09 in 1 years time you will be calling berbatov one of uniteds the best players ever for that season , 3 times and gave it to them for there wallets.
every interview i see of berbatov he almost always trys to defend what type of person he is , be it that he doesnt score and do a nani celibration but that because its not on his face he’s happy inside.
why does he need to justify himself to manchester united fans about the person he is. Alot of the “berbatov is just lazy” manchester united fans should just notice how much he justifys himself on the pitch.
Berbatov is absolute genius and will prove it.
He does not have to defend himself and I feel sorry that he has to especially for the United crowd who over the years have taken all sorts of players to their hearts.
Fact is – Cantona was just the same and he was sublime, if we support Berba he will show more and more why he is a touch above the rest.
For those idiots that think he is ‘lazy’ then look at how far on average he runs in a game then that will prove to you beyond doubt.
The boy is ‘next level shit’ and given the support that we SHOULD give him because he is a MANCHESTER UNITED player he will prove the numbskulls wrong.
Long live King Berga.
Fergie is the Don by the way.
If Tevez was looking to stay these are the things he should have been saying. I think that Berba is class and all the doubters of him will change there minds – like they have with Carrick!!
I had my Champions league final dream again last night – Berba will do some magic that will leave the whole world open-mouthed.
@GOTTAHATETINYTEARS – Something silly you could do to the groom at his stag do – Tell him he is doing the right thing and that marriage wont affect his enjoyment of football or stop him from going to away games and organising holidays around major tournaments as she will always be understanding !
Here’s my favorite stat. This is according to the Telegraph, but I’ve seen it on Soccernet as well. This just the Premier League, but I believe we’d find it to be just as true in all competitions.
Successful Tackles:
Wayne Rooney: 12
Carlos Tevez: 15
Dimitar Berbatov: 23
Just for the sake of reference,
Rio Ferdinand: 21
Jonny Evans: 20
Sound like a “lazy” player who can’t close down, and can’t get back on defense?
So he is like me and syhayl:He sakes before games.That’s good i guess.It shows that he cares.
I don’t buy the argument “if you don’t get Berbatov, you don’t get football”, it’s the emperors new clothes retort and does nothing to support the argument in his favour.
I personally think he’s a great player and think he will come on leaps and bounds if the supporters row in behind him. He appears to be a confidence player, like most strikers, and needs both support and a run of good performances before he drops into a higher gear. I think he’ll be more settled next year & hopefully will feel a part of things, it’s at that stage I think we’ll see the best of him.
The one BIG criticism I’d have of him is that he doesn’t move into space as quickly as he should. He often ‘gives’ but rarely ‘goes’, this is an area I think Ferg should be encouraging him to address. There’s no sense in playing a gently weighted ball to a player nearby and staying put, he needs to give it and then move into space or drive forward into the box.
No player is above criticism and can always improve, if he addresses this part of his game he could truly be lethal.
I like those stats too Lamb. I also like the ones that show that Berbatov has about the same tackle success as Tevez. I believe its 80% berba, 80.2% tevez. Someone wrote a (light-hearted) article on skysports about how tevez is the better player, yadda, yadda, yadda, and mentions tackles at least 5 times. I know a lot people think stats are misleading, as it doesnt show the amount of pressure tevez puts on the players with the ball, but we have 9 other players on the pitch for that. Yes, its great that Tevez does it, and we love him for it, but you dont need to chase everything to be a good player.
Hasnt Berbatov also created 61 chances in the Premier league, behind only Rooney for United, and 10th overall? I believe Lampard has created over 120, why he wasnt writers player of the year ahead of Stevie Me, I will never know.
I know he has his critics within our support (@lLamb22 well found stats mate), but I see him not as lazy, but with an assured languid style, immensely gift with the ball at his feet.
He could maybe improve his awareness of the speed we counter attack at tho’ but I’m convinced that this part of his game will improve. Just look how well he holds the ball up and I’ve yet to see an opposing player steal the ball from him (i may be wrong). Give him a chance, he clearly loves being here. In five seasons time we will all being talking about what a fantastic player he has been for us IMO.
Languidness aside, I think that the main criticism of Berbatov when you get right down to it, is simply that he hasn’t scored a bagful of goals. But then, when compared to last season when Ronaldo scored such a lion’s share, the goals have been a lot more evenly spread out (Berbatov creating/assisting for most of them as well). The one complaint I have, and it isn’t much of one is that I haven’t seen him shoot the ball in at least three matches. The man has a very nice strike as we’ve seen for his previous clubs, but he’s yet to really make a killer goal for us. The second goal against aalborg was a fantastic finish, as was his strike against Tottenham in the FA cup. Other than that, he’s had a lot of tap-ins. Again, positional strength. Nobody bitched about that when Van Nisteelroy did it. We’re used to wonder strikes from Ronaldo, Rooney, and Tevez. I’d like to see him pull the trigger a bit more. But the man is clearly class. I think he’s a bargain, and without him, we wouldn’t be in the position that we’re in.
anybody else get an email from republikofmancunia.org??? my email is saying not to open it.
@haha : have received it mate.don’t worry no virus, hahahaha
cheers wazza
Please, Don’t insult me for my words – Berba is not scoring because Ferguson has given him other job to do – create. At the moment, in the club there’s no such a creative player. Only Giggsy and Scholes have a vision that matches his. And until we get a central midfielder to do Berba’s job( Kaka… I’m dreaming I know) he ain’t score as many as everybody wishes…
It;s just my personal opinion that Sir Alex bought Berbatov to play a deep playmaking role
Other then Carrick we don’t really have a player who’ll play that one magical through ball and open things up(Anderson will get there although he seems more defensive, Scholesy is getting on). When he played for Spurs he was always the furthest man up field getting into goalscoring positions or playing with his back to goal to set up Robbie Keane.
But at United he plays deeper and it seems mostly concentrates on creating rather then scoring and despite this he’s scored a decent chunk of goals
Without Berbatovs goals we wouldnt be where we are(Winners against Boro,Newcastle,Bolton,)…those all ended 1-0 Liverpool would be a lot better off if we ended up drawing those three matches!.
Berba lets the football do the talking, he may have sulked during the transfer window, but it was pre-season for god’s sake! What would he be kicking during then?? I would be expecting more finishing from him next season. 20 goals!
Gotta agree with Jig,the one criticism about Berba is that he hasn’t been moving swiftly into open spaces, if he does so, he would be one hell of a havoc for defences!
Berbajockey!
He isn’t a United player. I don’t believe he can take the pressure
‘shaking before every match’ WTF. Whats he going to be like in the cl final?
Probably shaking with adrenalin Spencer. Of course he is a United player, not a fan of him I assume
Half the people might like me, the other half might not — I just try to make the non-believers into believers.”
Mitko – I’m a believer from day one and I respect him for publicly showing his love for Manchester United.
spencer Said,
May 20th, 2009 @12:35
He isn’t a United player. I don’t believe he can take the pressure
’shaking before every match’ WTF. Whats he going to be like in the cl final?
There is some thing called adrenaline mate…it starts to kick in when you really love something and want to do wee…when you’re nervous..obviously this thread was started for people like you….and judging by the responses above I’d like to think your lot are certainly in a minority…I bet you love the way Tevez loses the ball with his shite of a first touch and then goes about making people feel like he really cares..Grow the fuck up.
@ five
“It;s just my personal opinion that Sir Alex bought Berbatov to play a deep playmaking role”
you were not the only one ) i’ve said it million times. he does what Fergie wants him to do.
If any United fan is still questioning Berbatov they might also want to question how much attention they pay to their team over the course of a season.
What vexes me was how remorseful his critics became after the purchase. There was minimal objection before the capture. It’s apparent enough that his style is what irks those who point the finger, so where were they before we signed him? Instead, as soon as it had begun, they started sinking their claws in.
It’s even worse from the fans of rival clubs. They’re also somehow under the misperception that Berbatov is a flop. Even worse, that Sir Alex signed him with the intention of changing his style. What? He was 27 when he came to Old Trafford. They’re daring to suggest that Ferguson – one of the most revered managers ever – thought he could sign a 27-year-old and alter his style? I’m glad people of that ilk don’t support this club, they would embarrass me.
Fans only need to ask themselves two questions. Firstly, how successful has this season been? Even without the Champions League, very. What have Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal won? Maybe 1 FA Cup between them? Open the Celebrations. Secondly, and if the critics are to be believed, could any team carry such a maligned striker through an entire season and still win this much? Any side with a real problem player would have dropped him a long time ago. Berba’s featured regularly, so we must have done a lot of carrying. But we know that isn’t the case.
Berbatov’s a success. Fact.
I still love the comment he made about feeding squirrels in his spare time.
@ Bebeto
top thoughts, mate. but our play hasn’t been that flawless. 07-08 season Arsenal were very strong and their injuries counted. Liverpool couldn’t make a gap between us and themselves when we were away to Japan.
But we won it and Scott perfectly described it in one of his posts. The opposition wasn’t that good, but who cares ?
Berba’s been dreadful. Period.
No matter how you look at it. No matter how you view it. He’s been awful. He’s slow, lacks pace, and doesn’t fit into United’s formation. Fergie’s trying too fkn hard to fit him into the system and in doing so, we’re on a verge of losing a great figure in Tevez.
Imagine Tevez-Torres-Gerrard partnership. How hard would it be hard to swallow for us fans.
Top Premiership assists. Dreadful?
calling any professional footballer lazy is a joke. the effort and commitment it takes to become a manchester united is proof enough that he is not lazy. his style of play maybe different than that of tevez, he’s not going to run his socks off to rush a defender into booting the ball up field, but he will be there in the right place at the right time just like he has this season. he’s a goal scoring genius and knows exactlly where to be at all times. CANT WAIT FOR HIS HAT-TRICK IN ROME!
I have been Berbatov’s biggest critic since his arrival, and maybe a bit harsh on him. That tho does not change my mind that he is infact an extremely average player. It really isnt Berbatov’s fault tho, Fergie splashed out the 30 million plus for him which was a ridiculous price in the first place.
The whole Tevez situation has been a good bit of business by United, but at the same time showing no real loyalty to a player who clearly wants to stay at the club does sadden me. I honestly think Fergie deep down, does regret spending so much on Berbatov, and is secretly dissapointed with his contribution this season, and the fact he spent so much on him has left him without the funds for Tevez. Tevez was absolutely fantastic last season, and has been harshly treated by United this season.
@ PARK!!!
the differnce between you and sir alex is that he takes decisions that affect the outcome of our games ( and i hope you will agree with me that he has done a good job in that) while you just go on the internet and voice your opinion.
i cannot belive that a dreadful and awful player has the highest number of successful tackles in the team.
i cannot belive that a dreadful and awful player has the highest number of assists in the team.
FYI he did not sign for one season and what i will advice you to do is that at the end of his contract, evaluate what we have achieved in comparison to the amount we paid for him.
please can someone tell me how many years is his contract?
Berbatov is pure class, a TRUE United player and he’s in the right place, believe it!
Contrast that with the rubbish coming from Tevez, and I know who I’d want.
” The one BIG criticism I’d have of him is that he doesn’t move into space as quickly as he should. He often ‘gives’ but rarely ‘goes’, this is an area I think Ferg should be encouraging him to address. There’s no sense in playing a gently weighted ball to a player nearby and staying put, he needs to give it and then move into space or drive forward into the box.
No player is above criticism and can always improve, if he addresses this part of his game he could truly be lethal.” quoted from JIG
Truly agreed with what he said…strikers need to have the desire/greedy when it come to scoring…i have no doubt that berba is a brilliant player, superb, and truly world class…with his first touch, vision, control of the ball…but without the needs to score he better be midfield than a striker…
Actually shanks, that idea’s not half bad. Berba may be excellent as a creative midfielder in the Kaka mould, what with his flawless technique and all.