Berbatov Hunting For Goal Number 18

Dimitar Berbatov will be looking to make an example out of the Blackpool defence and continue his goalscoring form.

Berbatov has been in superb form this season, which has helped to compensate for the lack of goals coming from Wayne Rooney. The Bulgarian striker scored his third Premier League hat-trick of the season during the 5-0 win over Birmingham City and he will be hunting for another.

There is no question that Berbatov has been the main component in the Manchester United attack this season. The difference this season, as opposed to last, is that he is first choice and because of this he’s playing with confidence and a smile on his face.

The pressure has been piled on top of Berbatov because of Rooney’s poor form. However, Berbatov has shown that he can create goals out of nothing or become the typical greedy striker in front of goal to create ugly chances into goals and ultimately points.

He is also not looking settled during games. It’s widely accepted in the game that Berbatov can cut one of the most lackadaisical figures at times and that it’s easy for him to switch off when he feels his job is done. However, now Berbatov is looking for three, four or five goals per game as opposed to one or two.

His flexibility has also become a major part of his game because it allows Sir Alex Ferguson to build the team around him. He is good enough to play in attack by himself, which frees up an extra man in the middle of the team. He can also play with a partner and drop off from the front of the attack to pick up the ball and get others involved in passages of play.

Height is also going to be an important factor against Blackpool. Blackpool will defend doggedly and will not make it easy for United to break them down. This could mean a few longer balls from the United defence and midfield and Berbatov will be crucial in knocking the ball down and holding it up.