Dimitar Berbatov has a binge scoring problem

Berbatov leads the Premier League goalscoring charts

Dimitar Berbatov is a statistical anomaly. On paper he appears to be having a fantastic season, leading the Premier League goalscoring charts and averaging a goal almost every game. In practice he has been far from impressive and even found himself dropped from the Manchester United match day squad for the recent game against Wigan.

The frustration which Alex Ferguson must feel with Berbatov can only have been exasperated by his five goal haul against a woeful Blackburn Rovers last weekend. The Manchester United manager is surely wondering why his £30.75 million striker is incapable of producing this type of performance on anything approaching a regular basis.

The record books reflect the fact that Berbatov has found the back of the net 11 times so far this Premier League season but eight of these goals have come in the space of just two matches. In between goalscoring binges Berbatov has been virtually anonymous causing many to question whether he still had a long term future as a Manchester United player.

He scored a hat trick against Liverpool in September which included an audacious bicycle kick and was promptly named the PFA player of the month. It appeared that, with Wayne Rooney struggling for form and fitness, Berbatov was finally ready to confound his critics and excel in a Manchester United shirt.

The Bulgarian is nothing if not enigmatic and having finally established himself as a goalscoring force to be reckoned with he promptly failed to find the back of the net in any of his next seven Premier League appearances.

Berbatov has a languid style which has probably cultivated the popular perception that he is a little lazy. He does not seem to possess either the dynamism or determination needed to singlehandedly seize a game by the scruff of the neck, qualities which so endeared Carlos Tevez to the Old Trafford faithful. Tevez is a fantastic footballer but he chooses to combine his obvious aptitude with a tremendous work rate. Berbatov, by contrast, is entirely reliant on his inherent ability and seems incapable of forcing his way into a match.

You cannot imagine any manager would countenance dropping Tevez for tactical reasons yet Berbatov had to endure this particular ignominy a mere seven days before his five goal haul against Blackburn Rovers.

Seldom can the old adage that a week is a long time in football have been so eminently applicable. The uncharacteristic capitulation by Sam Allardyce’s side has taken Berbatov from the periphery of the Manchester United first team to the pinnacle of the top goalscorer’s table.

He is suddenly on course to score 20 league goals for the first time since his days at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and should comfortably eclipse his previous Premier League record of 15. This is no time for complacency though as all too often this season the mercurial Bulgarian has allowed matches to merely pass him by.

Ferguson cannot afford to accommodate a striker who is only occasionally outstanding and Berbatov needs to ensure he leaves a lasting impression every single time he steps out onto the pitch. At present he seems too content to sit back and hope that events will conspire in order to allow him to showcase his considerable talents.

When Berbatov reflects upon his season so far he must recognize the extent to which fortune has favoured him. Had he been omitted from the starting line up against Blackburn Rovers he could still be languishing on the substitutes bench without a Premier League goal in over two months. Instead he has more to his name than any other striker and  is suddenly the man of the moment.

The question is whether he can build upon this momentum. With veteran players such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville making increasingly intermittent appearances Manchester United are in need of a little leadership. Aged 29 and with 77 international caps and almost 150 Premier League appearances under his belt Berbatov should be the man to provide it.

The problem is that a leader should set an example by chasing the occasional lost cause and looking to encourage rather than chastise underperforming team mates. Berbatov often cuts a disconsolate figure and is far more likely to be seen sulking with his hands on his hips than pumping his fist and attempting to drive his team on.

Berbatov finds himself somewhat fortuitously at the forefront of Manchester United’s recent resurgence but he needs to do more than score goals in sporadic bursts. This could prove to be a turning point in his career, the question is whether Berbatov has the character to capitalize on it.

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