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OneFootball
Peter FitzpatrickĀ·18 May 2023
š£ Exclusive: Berbatov on Osimhen at Man Utd and the problems at Spurs
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OneFootball
Peter FitzpatrickĀ·18 May 2023
Dimitar Berbatov: the epitome of cool.
The Bulgarian striker had a first touch to die for and a steely eye for goal which dropped jaws in a trophy-laden career spanning two decades and two continents.
This week the former Manchester United, Tottenham, Fulham and Bayer Leverkusen star sat down with OneFootball for an exclusive interview in which he spoke on the biggest issues affecting his former clubs this season.
Dimitar Berbatov and Ben Foster featured in Enterprise Rent-A-Carās 2022/23 UEFA Europa League campaign content, Mission Masterclassā. You can view episode two in full here.
Sitting in fourth with one trophy in the cabinet already and another final on the way,Ā Erik ten Hag has largely enjoyed a strong opening season at Old Trafford but Berbatov feels much of its success will be determined by what happens in the next few weeks.
āLetās say if they qualify for the top four and win the [FA] Cup against [Manchester] City, you know, then thatāll be a great season in my book,ā said Berbatov, speaking on behalf of Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
āIf they donāt win the FA Cup but still manage top four, itās an OK season.
āIf they donāt qualify for the top four, because the pressure is there now, then itās not a good season.ā
The former striker was also disappointed that they did not make the final of the Europa League but he has a suggestion as to why.
āIt felt like the pressure completely got to them and quite quickly, and thatās obviously been a theme of their away form season.
āYou need to know how to get the points even if you play badly. Because thatās what champions do. Sometimes you donāt and it is not your day ā¦ but Unitedās away form has obviously been bad and they need to work on that for the next season for sure.ā
By the time next season rolls around the club may have new owners.
The question of Unitedās future owners is making the front and back pages right now and Berbatov has some interesting insights on how the players see it.
āWhen youāre a player, you try not to pay attention to stuff like this, but you do.
āThe information is there. So even if you donāt want to, you can hear it, you can see it, you talk about it and stuff like this.
āThe sooner that is finished, the better for everyone ā¦ [and] if theyāve been sold, they can start anew, with new owners and start to build. And when I say build, Iām saying it because I think Old Trafford needs to be renovated.ā
So while there are questions to be answered about all that, there are no questions about which striker Berbatov would like to see join United this summer, with Napoliās Victor Osimhen ā not Harry Kane ā his number one choice.
āThe goals he has scored, the speed of the game, he is just a natural born goalscorer. He knows exactly where to be on the pitch and how to score goals, and important goals well.ā
While consistency, or a lack thereof, has plagued one of his former sides this season, Berbatov believes it has also plagued another in Spurs.
āIām watching from the outside like anybody else now, and wondering what is happening because I said it many times before. They have one of the best stadiums in Europe. They have the training ground facilities. They have the players. And they still couldnāt find that [consistency] .
āThere is a similarity with United in that regard in that the consistency for both clubs is not there and when that consistency is not there, you are going to suffer. When they needed to get the points, they just couldnāt do it. And Iām talking about against teams where you normally should win.
āWith all due respect to the other teams, Spurs need to know how to get that ugly win from time to time. They cannot do it, and because of that, they suffer. And in the process everybody around the club suffers and everybody will again remind them that they havenāt won anything [since 2008].ā
One team having a happier season is another of his old clubās: Fulham.
Their progression is a source of happiness for a man who believed the club could be so much more when he was there.
āI kept telling them, guys, we can be better, the stadium can be bigger, the training ground can be bigger, and now I see all of this happening,ā he said.
āThis season theyāve been unbelievable, playing football that you want to watch and you want to go watch.
āMarco Silva needs to get the credit for producing this type of football from his team. They have the confidence to play from the back, play difficult passes, dangerous passes. This is all down to the manager.ā
While Berbatov is most known for his time in the Premier League, it was at Bayer Leverkusen that he ābecame a better football player and a better human being.ā
He is hoping his former club can defeat Roma in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final this Thursday but he knows āitās not going to be easyā against Mourinhoās side.
The dream was for Leverkusen to face off with United in the final but Berbatov will be there regardless and it is quite clear that he has lost none of his love for the game he made look so simple for so many years.