Source: Daily_Mail
Dimitar Berbatov admits to fears over £30m tag
Just six weeks into a season that is already threatening to turn his Manchester United career on its head, and Dimitar Berbatov is reflecting on the dark days, the time when he wondered if he ever really would look like a £30million footballer.[LNB] But with Berbatov, periods of introspection do not last long. 'There is a difference between a football player and a goalscorer who doesn't touch the ball, apart from when they put it into the net,' he said this week. 'For me, it is the whole package.[LNB] Looking good: Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov scores with an overhead kick against Liverpool[LNB] 'I don't care who I play with as long as they know the language of football. I have no problems playing with anybody but I like playing with clever players who look one way and pass the ball the other.[LNB] 'That is what I like about players. Sometimes you get players who are blinkered like horses and can only see straight ahead. When they turn, their whole head turns. But then there are other players who have peripheral vision. Without even looking left or right they know what to do, what to do with the ball.[LNB] [LNB]CLUB STATSAt Spurs (2006-2008)Total: 102 games (46 goals).League: 70 (27), FA Cup: 7 (5),League Cup: 9 (2), Europe: 16 (12). 06-07 League: 33 (12) All: 49 (23), 07-08 League: 36 (15), All: 52 (23)At Man Utd (2008- )Total: 92 (33). Before this season: 86 (26). League: 69 (27), FA Cup: 4 (1), League Cup: 2 (0), Europe: 15 (4), Comm Shield: 2 (1). 08-09 League: 31 (9) All: 43 (14), 09-10 League: 33 (12) All: 43 (12),10-11 League: 5 (6) All: 6 (7).[LNB]'I like those kind of players. I try to be like that. It's all about imagination on the pitch and trying to enjoy yourself.' Berbatov has certainly enjoyed himself so far this season.[LNB] Last weekend's hat-trick against Liverpool at Old Trafford took his goal tally to seven. As his previous two seasons yielded only 26 in total, it is easy to judge his progress.[LNB] A self-confessed loner, Berbatov admits to bouts of pessimism: 'I'm always thinking of the worst and hoping for the best, you know?' But there have been times in his short career at Old Trafford when his difficulties have understandably threatened to overwhelm him.[LNB] 'You try not to think about it but sometimes you just can't help it,' he said. 'You start thinking, ''They paid a lot of money and now what's going to happen if you don't prove good enough for that amount of money, if you don't score enough goals?"[LNB]'They are normal things that a lot of people think. They are alwaysgoing through my mind and sometimes it can be bad for yourconcentration and your skills because it distracts you from the maingoal.[LNB] 'I have just to play and enjoy my football. In the end Ijust say to myself, "Relax. Play. You're playing for the biggest clubin the world and nobody can say anything else".[LNB] 'If people don'tknow me they think I am a strange guy and I am a strange guy, you know.I am shy and the people who don't know me don't realise that. I don'tlike to socialise too much because I am shy. I've always been likethis.'[LNB] With United's Wayne Rooney continuing to search for hisbest form and young forwards such as Javier Hernandez and FedericoMacheda still learning, Berbatov has a little extra responsibility thisseason.[LNB] Look of frustration: Many United fans have yet to take to £30m Berbatov[LNB] [LNB] The efforts of United's two young strikers at Scunthorpe in the Carling Cup in midweek only demonstrated further how much manager Sir Alex Ferguson will need Berbatov if his team are to mount a credible title challenge over the coming months.[LNB] For his part, Berbatov may just be in the mood to meet that challenge.[LNB] 'Sometimes you think you didn't do enough for the team, when you have a bad game, and you start thinking, ''Where did I go wrong?'' or "I can do better than that."[LNB] 'You start to underestimate your skill, which is not good because I know what I can do but every player has periods like this in their careers and the main thing to learn is to stay strong because you are going to have dark moments and you need to be strong to get through.'[LNB]Perhaps the biggest compliment to Berbatov is that he will certainly be in Ferguson's team at Bolton tomorrow. If anything, Rooney may have to alter his own role to accommodate the Bulgarian.[LNB] Berbatov, who retired from international football last year, appreciates the shift in emphasis. After his goals against Liverpool, he said he was a 'lucky guy' and he returned to that theme this week.[LNB] 'Trust me,' he said. 'As a foreign player, it is exciting to walk out at Old Trafford. When I step on the pitch I always look up at the flags of the different nationalities on the top of the stadium.[LNB] 'I see the Bulgarian flag and it makes me feel proud to represent my country in the biggest team in the world. Yes, I am lucky.' [LNB] The title's yours! Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini insists Chelsea are just too good for the restBOLTON v Man United: Owen Coyle to choose between Jussi Jaaskelainen and Adam BogdanYou've had it easy! Fergie mocks champions Chelsea's 100 per cent start[LNB] [LNB]
