Dimitar Berbatov and Fulham- A Match Not Made In Heaven

As a Manchester United fan, the ease with which Fulham were dispatched in a resounding 4-1 win in the FA Cup 4th round pleased me. To be honest, the scoreline flattered the London side as United could have easily had a few more to their name but for a good performance by Mark Schwarzer in goal and some less than clinical finishing. Fulham’s attacking threat was close to non existent and an Aaron Hughes header served as a barely deserved consolation. The game was absurdly comfortable for an all Premier League clash and was certainly not the return to Old Trafford one man had hoped for.

Dimitar Berbatov is, for want of a better word, enigmatic. Or a little less informally but perhaps more fittingly, he’s cool. One look at him, on or off the pitch and you can’t just help but imagine him strolling casually in some exotic holiday spot, puffing on a Cuban cigar and in general living life at his own pace.

Former Keeper Edwin Van der Sar’s view on Berbatov

While we have no way of knowing if this is the actual case in real life, one thing is for sure, Berbatov certainly likes to play football in his own way. Blessed with an astonishingly good first touch and vision, Berbatov has the ability to excite and frustrate in the space of a few seconds. I don’t think there has been a player in the recent past who has divided opinion among United fans in the manner the Bulgarian has managed to. Having joined for a hefty price of 30 million pounds , Berbatov had a lot to live up to. First of all while he had a good time at Spurs, not many United fans were convinced that he would fit into the team seamlessly. It is worth pointing out that he joined on the back of the season United were last successful in Europe and the trio of Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo used to run amok with lightning quick counter attacks. Another point of contention was his transfer fee which was sizable especially considering the fact that he was in his late 20s.   Berbatov scored 48 goals in 108 appearances during his 4 year spell at Old Trafford including finishing joint top scorer in the 2010-11 season. However in the subsequent season, with the emergence of Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez, Berbatov found himself down the pecking order and it came as no surprise when he left the club in the transfer window at the beginning of this season.

What was surprising was his destination. With Fiorentina in what was apparently, fairly advanced talks to sign him, Berbatov chose to sign for Fulham instead. While Berbatov himself has had a relatively good season, Fulham’s form of late has been quite poor and they currently find themselves occupying 14th spot in the Premier League. It should be pointed out that while the Cottagers haven’t set the world alight, the man himself has had a decent season.

Berbatov’s goal scoring via Squawka

Passing Accuracy via Squawka

Having watched Berbatov play over the years, one thing about him is that he is a player who needs to be surrounded by quality players. Yes he is capable of individual magic such as this memorable assist against West Ham, but he needs players who understand the way he plays and who have the skill necessary to compliment him. In his own words, “I am a relaxed guy. I play that way and I can’t change my style. I watch games and see guys who panic on the ball – they look so nervous. I can be calm, because I sometimes know what I want to do before the ball comes to me.” You cannot expect him to chase down balls down the channels and haggle defenders and try to pinch the ball back. He is, quite simply, not that type of player. He wants the ball to be played at his feet on most occasions and expects it to be played at precisely the right angle and speed. A little off target and you can expect a withering stare in reply.

Keep Calm And Pass Him The Ball!

And frankly, at the moment Fulham don’t have the players who are capable of that. With the exception of perhaps Bryan Ruiz, no other Fulham player looked to be on the same wavelength as him on Sunday. His famous under shirt with the slogan ‘Keep calm and pass me the ball’  may have been a bit tongue in cheek but it shows that he is the main man at Fulham and rightly so. On basis of skill he is simply in a different class in that squad. While he may just have been having a laugh the fact he even wore a t-shirt like that speaks volumes. Can you imagine him doing that at United? I, certainly can’t. Berbatov cut a forlorn figure throughout the game and even though he showed glimpses of his exceptional technical ability, he was never really a massive threat to the United back 4.

So what now for the Bulgarian? Despite Fulham’s recent slide, I don’t see relegation as a real threat as I think they have enough quality to finish mid table come the end of the season. However, I don’t think Craven Cottage will ever be able to see the best of Dimitar Berbatov. I would like to sympathize with him but I’m afraid to say he has only himself to blame. You join a mid table club and that is exactly what you get. I would like to see Berbatov play for a big team once again in his career, not just for his sake, but for his fans. But then again if there was ever a man who marched to his own beat, it is Dimitar Berbatov.

All stats and images are courtesy of Squawka with their permission.