Dimitar Berbatov played for just over twenty minutes in the European Cup final but has today confessed that he has found the defeat difficult to accept, particularly given he has lost in the final before at the hands of Real Madrid, back in 2002.
He ends with a positive note though, claiming we will be the favourites to make the final again next season, because we’re the biggest team in the World.
“It is very difficult to accept defeat in the most important final,” said Berbatov. “This is my second defeat on such an occasion, and I just hope I will get a third chance and win it. Barcelona were the better team in Rome and won. I think the season has been successful for me. Next season we will be favourites in all competitions again: after all, Manchester United is the biggest team in the world.”
Man Utd News 24/7
Good lad! Give him a good pre-season behind him and I think he will work better with the team next season.
magnificent player, needs time to prove himself, his had 1 season, i also feel he has had a succesfull period so far, next season i hope he gets the chance to show his best football.
peace n love
I agree, I expect him even stronger next season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he would be our assist king next season.
Hope he adds more to the score sheet often.. looks like the shine of ronnie will fade coming season.. rooney as always will be good..
@Gudjohnsen : not only assists but more importantly goals. after all he is a striker.
I think he will have a great season ,only he need more goals
SAF’s big challenge is to figure out how to play Berbatov with Rooney/Ronaldo.
The reality is that TheOldFootieKnight never got it right last year when UTD scored a miserable number of goals in the EPL. To win the quadruple the strikers/forwards have to bulge the old onion bag on a more frequent basis.
Berbatov does not fit in to the United system.
Who said ‘the system’ can’t be changed?
I am just worried that the pre season will get effed up because of the Ronaldo/Tevez non sense. The sooner it is resolved, the better.
How exactly are United the biggest team in the world? Its obviously Milan and Real madrid if you’re judging by trophies.
In the most recent actim stats the Berb was rated 4th out of 100 players. the pre season will see him utilised more . Hope it works .
only comes on for last 20 minutes after another striker carlos tevez and so far i havent heard him making any serious compaints.
@Bruce Thomas
The system was changed for RVN and when he left we played better football.
@Manu
There is no Ronaldo situation to resolve.
He is contracted to Manchester United.
AlphaRS – spot on. Our tactics then were basically “Run down the pitch with the ball and pass it to Ruud in the box”. It’s no coincidence Ronaldo came to life after we sold Ruud and United stopped playing so one-dimensionally!
ronaldo lyk u say came into life wen ruud went, dyou think rooney will come to life IF ronaldo leaves(unlikely ino), ive always said the team should be built around rooney, but ronaldo is ok 2
Roeney come to life?! Thought that Rooney had a blinder of a season and has been hugely underated.
@Pat:
It was very diferent then than now,only the first team in the league went to european champions cup and it was much easier to win it.If that was the way it is played now our scouser friends wouldn’t have champions league aperiance for 19 years…And Madrid have 5 trophies in the first 5 years in the european champions cup.The champions league is far far harder to be won.
Next season is so important for Berba because if he dosen’t come up with goods he’ll be an easy target for the fans and that will only knock his confidence even more.
I thought he had a pretty decent season as it was always going to be hard coming to a club like ours,where he wasn’t the ‘biggest’ player in terms of star or skill status.
He showed some sublime touches and chipped in with a few essential goals so we can’t really complain for his first year of settling in.
I have really high hopes for him next season and personally can’t wait to watch him in action again.
I think he understands the ethos of our team and knows that if he shows he’s putting in the effort the fans will love him.
It’s a myth the champions league is harder to win now, in fact, it’s almost impossible to compare. It was a straight knockout previously and only the winners of each league were permitted entry. Also, there were many more strong teams in europe spread more evenly across the countries. Remember money didn’t dominate football the way it does now when the team which spend the most, United, Chelsea, Real can almost guarantee success despite, in the last two of that list, mismanagement. Avram Grant very nearly won a league and European double in his first season with Chelsea, this demonstrates how managerial ability is much less important than spending large quantities of cash in the modern era. What did Lou Macari say Ferguson needed to do when interviewed on 28th May 2009…that’s right, spend. Carrick 18m, Tevez possibly 32m, Nani 16m, Anderson 18m, Rooney 26m, Ronaldo 12.5m world record for teenager, berbatov 31m. but still not enough…spend more.
In the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, international transfers were rare. Huge money simply didn’t exist in football so the likes Of United and Real couldn’t simply go out and buy the best players from around the world…this season we had the ludicrous sight of 64m pounds worth of talent sitting on United’s bench. 64m, two of the world’s best players, but not deemed good enough to start the game. This would have been unthinkable 20 years ago. The top clubs didn’t have the concentration of top players now from around the world.
What this meant was the champions of Sweden, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, France, etc were much stronger sides than they are now and often contained the very best players from those countries. These days the best player from Bulgaria was sitting on United’s bench so wasn’t available for Sofia or whoever the Bulgarian champs are now.
Of course, these days the european cup has expanded, the strongest teams from the top leagues are now permitted places and the group stage somewhat loses the “easy draw” factor which could have existed back many years ago so it’s a tricky comparison to make.
The idea that it’s widely accepted the champions league is much harder to win than the old european cup is simply untrue and the vast majority of those who make such claims aren’t old enough to remember the old tournament. The likes of Bobby charlton certainly wouldn’t agree.
Who won the European Cup Berba? Yeh, taught so.
@Scott
Totally agree with you. The system changed to accomodate RVN and United inevitably became predictable. That still didn’t mean all the top sides could stop us. But if they could United never had a plan B to counteract this.
Look at the United team at the moment. In Europe the favoured system seems to be 4-3-3. Rooney is playing out of position on the left. I remember his pace and raw talent willing to take defenders on without fear. Now he seems supressed on the wing.
United can also play 4-4-2. But how many crosses have come in where the ball has ben headed in to the back of the net?
I just don’t think Berbatov and Rooney and Tevez can play in a 4-4-2 system together. As good as Berbatov may be he doesn’t fit in to the United system of play. Probably get bashed for it but there you go.
And don’t even get me started on the lack of gaols from central midfield. Give Anderson a go at being inventive as Giggs and Scholes will all retire next year!
Berba would score a lot more goals, IF we had an offensive MF with an eye for a pass. United fans are always whining about Berba not being in the box, but I have noticed him in the box so many times, screaming for the ball, and not receiving it, only to see one of the other players BLAZE the ball well over the bar. Our strikers need to stop playing for their own cause, and start thinking team again. When they did that the season before, we had manifold goals as a result. If a players in the box, screaming for the ball, in a better position, GIVE him the feckin ball, and stop trying to make a name for yourself and FAIL. You all know the players guilty of this!!! Maradona should stop telling Tevez to be more selfish, we got enough selfish players already.
Hopefully Berba will have a better season next season.
how the hell can berba score many goals for UTD, when he’s never in the box??? he has to be sensible…when rooney or ronaldo drops deep in midfield to collect the ball, the dumbfuck should run into spaces near the box.he aint no midfielder,so i dont care about these flick ons and whatever he does about slowing the game down.thats not his job.is football that hard to understand for some of you guys.people wonder why we didnt score that many goals this season…its because of all the forwards (berba,ronaldo,rooney,tevez) we dont have a true number 9.i so wish we had a louislouishaha.i think thats all we do need to sign this summer.
@AlphaRS
The “system” you are talking so highly about needs improvement every year, or we wont follow teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and even Villa.
And no matter how much we twist and turn it, berbatov is a improvement.
His stats will show it, the games will show it and the results will show it.
I REALLY don’t think we would have won the premier league if we hadn’t improved our team last summer.
i dont understand the berbatov criticism – he got 10 assists and 14 goals this season if im not wrong? the only reason he gets criticised is his “lazy” style even though he covers more ground on average than any other player than rooney in 90 minutes (im sure scott could find me some stats to back me up, heaven forbid i sound like im doing a list of unfounded facts). The fact he didnt quite perform to his spurs level in his first season is to be expected. Next season he will be improved.
With regards to our “system,” i would prefer to see rooney playing off berbatov next season, going back to a traditional 4-4-2 as we did in 06-07 but playing with a flexible attack. for example with hargreaves back, we could have a midfield 4 of ronaldo carrick hargo and nani/tosic/replacement left winger who is actually good, all of whom could swap and change with each other as well as rooney and even berba can drop deep as proven this season. add anderson (a potential left-sider), fletcher and scholsey to this mix and we’re living the dream. That way we can have rooney being his best influential self
@Sprinter
Every team has a system and yes it does need changing every season.
Berbatov may be a good player and yes him being in our squad is an improvement. But we already have 2 players who can do his job in Rooney and Tevez. They play off a main striker in their natural positions.
Rooney can play off Berbatov but Berbatov isn’t a front man and can’t lead the line. He is slow and will never beat the last man to score. I am questioning the thought behind signing a player for £30 million when we already have Rooney.
Berbatov does not fit in to the team at the moment. It’s ridiculous spending that kind of money on a player and having him sit on the bench in the European Cup Final. If we are to sign a player for such money at least make sure he is first teamer.
I just don’t think we need him. We need a striker who is a front man.
Seagulls– I just don’t think that works though. I also would like to see Rooney played more in his natural position “in the hole” behind more of a target striker, but I don’t think Berba is that player. He himself prefers to drop deep to link play, and he doesn’t have the pace to stretch or even worry center backs so they easily hold a high line and sit on top of us, which would limit the space Rooney and Berba have to operate in. And, he isn’t really that great in the air, (brilliant at bringing the ball down with his first uncontested touch, but I mean challenging for headers etc). So, asking Berba and Wayne to play up top together in a 4-4-2 just wouldn’t work. Just my opinion though…
What Alpha said…
What Drew Vader said….
@alphaRS
I think berbatov is a world-class link between the midfield and attack.. he can give brilliant passes and he is the ultimate person to pass a ball to, because he can take down the most difficult passes.. I dont get suprised anymore when i see berba give a key pass, which leads into a dangerous situation, becuase it is starting to become natural. He can unlock the most complex defences.
give the man a chance and give SAF a chance to show why he bought him.. You might be right about him not leading the line. But this is not where i would want to use him either.. but berbatov is not that slow, he can move into good positions, and therefore he will give us a nice goal tally as well..
I wont be suprised if these men starts next season (if Tevez is off)
Ronaldo berbatov rooney
Benzema (or Huntelaar)
@Spriter
I hear what you’re saying about Berbatov. I’m not saying he is shite.
I’m saying Rooney plays in the hole. So does Tevez.
What was the point of signing him?
If we are putting Tevez on the bench and Berbatov in the team how can we justify spending £25 odd million on a player who sits on the bench?!
With you on Benzema. As for Huntelaar I don’t fancy Madrid rejects!
We MUST keep hold of Ronaldo, and try our very best to snatch Ribery from Madrid, won’t that be a total kick in the teeth for the Facists.
Berbatov hasnt had a bad season, he just hasnt had a great one.
The slating he gets of some of our supporters isnt going to help and the way the media stir things up wont help him either, i think he really needs to have a class season next year unless everyone will be baying for his blood.
Assists wise he’s been great, he scored a handful of important goals over the winter but he never really hit top form in terms of goal scoring. He offers something different tactically as he can hold up the ball well and has a great first touch, but he definatly needs to have more shots on goal he never shoots! he never looks like he’s going to score thats why he frustrates people.
It might have gone un noticed by a few (drunken/upset) people in Rome but in the last 10 mins Berbatov had a free header in the box from a corner and didnt even get it on target, where as Messi who isnt supposed to be good in the air gets a free header and scores. If he would of scored from that corner who knows what would of happened or atleast it would of helped us save face.
He’s been frustrating but it is his first season and he’s shown glimpses of pure genius but he needs to do it alot more often and he needs to get involved alot more in terms of actually SHOOTING!!! thats my only problem with him is i dont think ive ever seen him properly strike the ball with any meaning.
DrewVader @ 20:07: I agree with you about the futility of going back to the 4-4-2. With this collection of players – Rooney, Ronaldo, and Berbatov – it seems to me that some version of a 4-3-1-2 or a 4-3-2-1 would make the best use of their skills. And, I think that Ronaldo is a natural front man – he’s big, he’s fast, he’s good-in-the-air, AND he’s greedy for goals.
I also believe that the Da SIlva twins are going to have a HUGE impact – Rafael (who is supposed to be the weaker of the two) was incredibly exciting going forward but somewhat lost in his defensive work. Getting those two kids into the line-up will give the team great natural width and speed, so it would mean that one or two of the three midfielders would have to be charged with covering for them when they adventure forward.
In ice hockey in the early ’90s, the strategy of the game was transformed with a new system called the “left/right wing lock” in which the attacking defenceman was covered by a forward whose defensive responsibility was situational in that the forward would go forward or go back depending on the actions of the defenceman.
In footie, I can envisage a system in which two of the midfielders and the two fullbacks “interlock” – this is the way that Brazil played with Cafu/Roberto Carlos and it was devastating. Rafael and Fabio would provide UTD with the same kind of attacking width – the question then becomes whether (or not) the midfielders can provide the flexible cover. An uninjured Hargreaves would be a natural for this kind of system; so, too, would Anderson. That would leave the team with a defensive core of two center backs and a defensive midfield shield.
From what I’ve seen, this UTD squad has the resources to play this kind of game. And, in Berbatov, Rooney and Ronaldo, it has the forwards who could really shine with that sort of service from the wings.
@alphars
I think either berba or tevez have to go this summer(as you say.. Roo, tevez and berba all play in the hole), and I would (sorrily) rather offload tevez.. If you turn time back to last summer, i would probably not have wanted berba.. but here we are.
Now we need to bring in a man who can lead the line, like benzema or huntelaar.. but where do you think we should play rooney if we do the tevez/benzema switch, (as I doubt Fergie will cash in on berba this summer(rather tevez))
Hmm.. hard puzzle
if Chelski come in and hijack the Kaka deal then it’s really going to screw us over. Fascists are gonna go into overdrive trying to get Ronaldo.
@Spriter
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/5401914/Karim-Benzema-could-lift-Manchester-United-to-next-level.html
Good article there. Don’t know whether it’s already been posted.
I’m all for Benzema. But United need a striker to lead the line before we even think about Rooney and Berbatov playing off them.
Re: Kaka. The word is that the deal IS done but the press will all be saying tomorrow that it has not gone through. It is AC MIlan s presidential elections next week and Berlusconi will want to save face again. The deal will be formally announced next week. Lets see.
As for Ronnie he is going nowhere this summer and I would (almost) put my mortgage on that. The Nike/adidas deal alone fucks all that up for the fascists.
can berba be given some time please?
come on berba show them who is the tough?
@kapti14
I not questioning ehther Berba should be given a chance or not.
I am questioning the wisdom of signing a player when we already have 2 who play in the same position. IE Rooney and Tevez.
In my mind it is stupid signing a player for £30million and leaving him on the bench for the Champions League Final. Also now if we sign Tevez for £25 odd million he would be on the bench.
Tevez as brilliant as he is will probably need to leave and spend that £25 million on Benzema should he wish to join.
3 players who play in the hole does not make any sense to me as you can’t play them all at once in one position.
Berbatov needs to be playing as a link between midfield and strikers, his first touch and ball control skills are second to none and should be utilised to feed rooney and ronaldo.
Berbatov is a class above Tevez and he will prove it next season.
would this work : a 4-3-1-2 formation
VDS
Rafael Vidic Ferdinand Evra
Fletch Carrick Giggs
Berba
Ronaldo Rooney
Just as an example formation, obviously the midfield could do with some playing around