Incensed by my piece about Arsenal a few of my close friends threw whatever they could lay their hand upon mercilessly at me(..Ouch!), not to mention unknown Manutd fans appreciating me which was a little demoralizing actually, given my love for both the clubs' traditions but I've longed to write about the changing culture at Manutd during the Rooney transfer saga but here it goes anyway. I admit the title looks fishy, let me assure you that it does not have any other meaning than how much you've understood in the first place. Many of you would go as far as raising an-eighth of you eyebrow as to read what this mumbo jumbo about Berbatov is, especially when he's on top of the scoring charts.
Well, happy as I am that Berbatov is the highest scorer, I am not blinded to see that Wayne Rooney hasn't got off to a scoring spree yet. But, in the recent matches it has either been a combination of Rooney and Hernandez or Rooney playing as the sole forward. Basically, I guess it was Sir Alex's idea that Rooney should play second fiddle to Berbatov early this season to justify the hefty price tag and his own poor decision making, and all that contract nonsense has of course helped the cause. Sure, Berbatov scored a hattrick against Liverpool and five against Blackburn but come to think of it, it was never Berbatov of the White Hart Lane. That Berbatov was playing at another level, a completely insane one!
One can argue that the decision not to start Berbatov against Chelsea was a tactical one to rest him for the clash against Liverpool. But the same cannot apply to his non-appearance against Arsenal. I mean, what's the point of signing a player for a club record fee to play just one match per week? Scholes has been playing back to back this season. Doesnt make sense at all! So, this doesn't look anything more than a ploy to get Berbatov into the spotlight for a while and then back to the bench for the crucial fixtures.
Let me not take away anything from Berbatov as a player though. He is an absolutely phenomenal player, his touch and vision as good as anyone to have played the sport, but I only question his role at Old Trafford. Maybe he'll just push off his time for another two years and get down to coaching or going to Bulgaria, especially with Danny Welbeck and Macheda coming in. And now that Valencia's back and Jisung Park's edging closer to his return, I expect United to play that incisive 4-5-1 with high throttled attack from the flanks. The combination of Rooney and Valencia was absolutely sensational last season and now with Nani playing football(!), there maybe lesser chances for Berbatov. But I'm sure he'll give anything when it comes to the team, you can't feed personal egos at Manchester United unless you are Cristiano Ronaldo.
Looking forward to the CL home leg against Marseille.
So long,
Vinay
Well, happy as I am that Berbatov is the highest scorer, I am not blinded to see that Wayne Rooney hasn't got off to a scoring spree yet. But, in the recent matches it has either been a combination of Rooney and Hernandez or Rooney playing as the sole forward. Basically, I guess it was Sir Alex's idea that Rooney should play second fiddle to Berbatov early this season to justify the hefty price tag and his own poor decision making, and all that contract nonsense has of course helped the cause. Sure, Berbatov scored a hattrick against Liverpool and five against Blackburn but come to think of it, it was never Berbatov of the White Hart Lane. That Berbatov was playing at another level, a completely insane one!
One can argue that the decision not to start Berbatov against Chelsea was a tactical one to rest him for the clash against Liverpool. But the same cannot apply to his non-appearance against Arsenal. I mean, what's the point of signing a player for a club record fee to play just one match per week? Scholes has been playing back to back this season. Doesnt make sense at all! So, this doesn't look anything more than a ploy to get Berbatov into the spotlight for a while and then back to the bench for the crucial fixtures.
Let me not take away anything from Berbatov as a player though. He is an absolutely phenomenal player, his touch and vision as good as anyone to have played the sport, but I only question his role at Old Trafford. Maybe he'll just push off his time for another two years and get down to coaching or going to Bulgaria, especially with Danny Welbeck and Macheda coming in. And now that Valencia's back and Jisung Park's edging closer to his return, I expect United to play that incisive 4-5-1 with high throttled attack from the flanks. The combination of Rooney and Valencia was absolutely sensational last season and now with Nani playing football(!), there maybe lesser chances for Berbatov. But I'm sure he'll give anything when it comes to the team, you can't feed personal egos at Manchester United unless you are Cristiano Ronaldo.
Looking forward to the CL home leg against Marseille.
So long,
Vinay
