Bulgaria Star Has Talent to Replace Main Man Wayne Rooney

In Dimitar Berbatov, however, Manchester United might just have their saviour. Photo by BGNES

From UK Daily Mail (dailymail.co.uk)

By Matt Lawton

Can Dimitar Berbatov Be a King?

Sir Alex Ferguson said there would be plenty of twists and turns between now and the end of the season and it is a twist of Wayne Rooney's right ankle that has turned this most intriguing of title races on its head.

In Dimitar Berbatov, however, Manchester United might just have their saviour. A Bulgarian striker who has the opportunity to demonstrate just how gifted a footballer he is when he meets Chelsea on Saturday and Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Judging by the first interview he gave to an English newspaper shortly after joining Tottenham in 2006, he will be taking such pressure and expectation in his easy stride. He was the personification of cool that day.

Saving grace: Man United's title hopes rest squarely on Berbatov with Rooney out

A player who didn't just look like a film star but talked like one too, having learnt English by watching American movies, in particular the Godfather trilogy.

'F*** man, he was the best,' he said of Alan Shearer. He used the 'F' word repeatedly that day, not least when he realised he had been driving around London for a couple of months without paying something he'd never heard of called 'the congestion charge'.

According to a Tottenham official, Berbatov ended up with a hefty bill. Berbatov, 29, even enjoys the occasional cigarette to maintain the John Cazale image but nothing could enhance it more than a pivotal performance at Old Trafford this afternoon.

While he is hugely talented, the Bulgarian has become a source of some frustration at United even if Ferguson has remained fiercely loyal in defending his record £30.75million signing. Some supporters appreciate his elegant, languid style, but others consider him lazy compared to Rooney. Had they had a choice in selling Berbatov or Carlos Tevez to Manchester City, most would have opted for keeping the all-action Argentine.

Berbatov is the antithesis of Rooney, and someone Ferguson has often overlooked for the more important matches. He has started only six of the 21 Champions League matches United have contested in his 18 months at the club, and just one of the 'big-four' encounters - at Liverpool - they have so far contested this season.

In last season's Champions League final against Barcelona he appeared for just 34 minutes as a second-half substitute and never left the bench during that recent defeat of Liverpool.

Ferguson tried to explain why. 'I don't enjoy leaving him out of games,' he said. 'But when we've decided to go with the one striker, away from home in Europe in particular, it's been quite successful for us.

'It's not easy leaving a good player like that out, but the pattern of our game away from home has suited us. I brought Dimitar on against Bayern Munich because we needed to change the pattern of the game, because we just couldn't keep possession of the ball, we just couldn't keep it in the way we normally do, it was ridiculous.

'And Dimitar actually did improve the situation a bit, in terms of getting on the ball and making something happen around about the last third of the field, which we hadn't been doing enough of. It's not easy to leave a good player like that out. But now he'll be in and we just have to decide what is the best way of playing with him, in terms of our formation.'

There are other statistics that suggest United can cope in the absence of Rooney. The fact that, while Rooney has scored just twice in 19 encounters with Chelsea, Berbatov has a return of four goals in 10. In big matches too.

A League Cup final, when representing Spurs, and last season's 3-0 win at Old Trafford. Then there's the fact that United have not exactly struggled without Rooney this season. Nine games, nine wins.

John Terry has never enjoyed playing against Berbatov and this week United centre half Nemanja Vidic pointed to his colleague's contribution at Bolton last weekend. Rooney was missing then too and Berbatov scored two of United's four goals. 'Berba showed what he could do at Bolton. He is a great player who can score and set up goals.'

Chelsea will, of course, put up more of a fight, their spirits lifted by high-scoring wins against Portsmouth and Aston Villa and their bodies rested by their elimination from the Champions League.

As Roy Keane said, their failure to progress beyond their last-16 tie against Inter Milan could prove decisive in the outcome of the title race.

With Didier Drogba back, Chelsea will be dangerous. But the pressure remains on them, and in particular their manager. It might have eased after two big wins in the Barclays Premier League but Carlo Ancelotti will know he is only one bad defeat away from another training-ground visit from Roman Abramovich. Sources say his meeting with Ancelotti and the players after that loss to Inter was uncomfortable for the Italian.

Ferguson believes Berbatov can inflict yet more pain and suffering on Chelsea. 'You cannot dismiss his ability, his talent - it's fantastic talent,' said the manager, before dismissing what he considers the minority of United fans who have so far failed to admire their most expensive player.

'I think about 80 per cent of fans recognise his abilities. If our big signings are not scoring 50 goals a season, with 16 overhead kicks, we always get a dissenting voice somewhere. Everyone's got their favourites in football, and I always think supporters have diverse views.

'I used to get a letter from a fan saying I was off my head because I didn't play Steve Bruce as a centre forward. I think it was Brucie writing it himself, or his granny!' Berbatov is a centre forward, and today he can demonstrate he's a damn fine one too.

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