Fair enough point that perhaps Berbatov needs some more time to adjust and is probably worth the wait for he is indeed class with his touches, control and some awesome passes that he can conjure.
BUT just to throw in the spanners.....
1. Isn't one of the reasons why the majority here preferred him over Huntelaar in the summer being that he is more established, and already tried and tested in EPL? And it should be really nothing new for him to play against the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal etc after having spent two seasons in England already prior to joining us. Then again, some may be quick to also point out that he needs more time to assimilate himself into our system of play. That I would have a little reservation. I mean, he should be hitting new heights easier and sooner by playing with better players than Spurs, isn't it? No?
2. Is he really worth 30.75m and all the fuss in the summer from what we have seen thus far? I know some may also quickly point out that the price included some 'mark-ups' by an aggreived Spurs. True. But the fuss also included our willingness to pay over the top for him, isn't it? So are we truly happy with the price we paid for what we have seen so far? Not for me in all honesty.
3. Another reason touted for his purchase in the summer was he is a big match player and could inspire us, especially the frontline. Nothing so far in our big matches proved that. Yesterday was another disappointment. I expected him to be really charged and fired up to prove a point with the hostile crowd booing him with his every touch, something players normally do when they return to their old clubs. Instead he appeared intimidated, disappeared and totally not himself. Some of his passing was really bad, just like the rest of the team, in all fairness. But hey, this is also the guy that is supposed to inspire us to greater heights from last season, isn't it? A big match player? Not convinced yet.
4. One of the objections in the summer was that he disappears along with the team and is only on song when the team is on song, a counter point to those who went as far as touting him as a player who can win the game for us a la Cantona. He has yet to disprove that surely.
5. Another was that he is not the fox in the box or the typical clincial finisher we need to perfectly complement the work rate of Rooney and Tevez. It does seem thus far that he drops back as much as Rooney and Tevez when I was really hoping he would have exerted more presence and influence in the box. On the contrary too, I actually thought with Rooney pushed upfront and him slightly behind like in some part of the Citeh game was the most potent I have witnessed this season. And yes, he is not as clinical as some touted too (the finishing has nothing to do with getting assimilated in the team for you either have the nerves to score or not in the given circumstance).
But don't get me wrong; I am not bashing Berbatov for the sake of wanting to bash him. I am always more concerned about United than a Berbatov or a Ronaldo or a Rooney for that matter. And I am just speaking from what is before our eyes thus far, for whatever reasons, directly or indirectly attributed. I still hold the same hopes and aspirations like the rest about him that he will justify all the monies and the fuss incurred.
But I maintain my stand as per my exchange with TheManc that if our frontline is not actually enriched from last season ie the strike force scoring more goals than last season (remember the entire forward line could only muster as much as a Ronaldo last season) or that he can't contribute to the goal tally personally as widely expected from such established and seasoned striker, then I am sorry he has not actually improved the squad.
Afterall, at the end of the day, an assessment has to be justified by quantitative and not qualitative evaluations alone. All the oohs and aahs during a game with each single touch and control would count for nought on the podium at the end of the season if the end product is not good enough.
Let's see what happens for the rest of the season....