Hit Or Miss? Dimitar Berbatov

Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov stormed to the top of the Premier League scoring charts with a stunning five-goal haul as Manchester United demolished Blackburn Rovers 7-1 at Old Trafford. They were the first goals Berbatov has scored since September and were timely reminder to everybody that on his day, he is amongst the Premier League’s very best.

Berbatov is so often criticised, and often the criticism is justified. When things don’t go well for him, his work ethic and attitude becomes a real issue. But when things are going right for him, there are very few defenders in the Premier League that can stop him.

Personally, I think Wayne Rooney’s return to the United fold has done Berbatov the world of good. Berbatov thrives on been the centre of attention and has been pushed out in to the shadows with Rooney’s recent return. The Blackburn game was the perfect opportunity for Berbatov to show everybody that he is still capable of leading the United line.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was proud of the performance of both of his strikers: “Berbatov and Rooney were a good combination today – they interchanged brilliantly today. Wayne was fantastic.”

The question now is can Berbatov continue this level of form? Ever since arriving at Old Trafford he has struggled with consistency and never really lived up to his vast price tag. But if he can’t now find them consistent performances after scoring five in a game, you have to question if he ever will.

What do you think? Is Dimitar Berbatov a purely “hit or miss” player, or will his excellent performance against Blackburn be the start of the something special for the Bulgarian at Old Trafford?