| Paul Hayward: Berbatov adds sweat to artistry Berbatov looks a different player now he has signed up to the harder half of a Manchester United striker's job specificationThere are still times in games when Dimitar Berbatov looks as if he might stop to spark up a fag and phone an old mate back in Sofia. But more often these days he appears intent on filling the creativity gap left by Eric Cantona.At Goodison Park at the weekend an Everton defender was allowed to receive a pass from the goalkeeper in a space Berbatov might have raced across to occupy had he been Wayne Rooney's twin. Paul Scholes observed this relapse into indolence and waved to indicate a little defensive scampering was required. Berbatov dipped his shoulders, as if about to sprint, but then thought better of it, using the time instead to plan his next flourish.Manchester United fans need no pleading to sing about Cantona: their ideal exotic compound of skill, muscularity and defiance. At Everton those supporters broke into their sacred "Ooh-aah Cantona" anthem just as Berbatov was relaxing into his best repertoire of chips, flicks, feints and link-ups.A floaty, slow-footed but quick-brained master of space, Berbatov has put pressure on Sir Alex Ferguson to reverse last season's Champions League policy of starting with his £30m Bulgarian striker on the bench. As Rangers roll into Old Trafford tonight there seems only the slimmest chance that Berbatov will return to the subservient role.In Rooney's absence on Saturday the carpe diem spirit took him as Ferguson asked him to capitalise on a promising start to his campaign by leading the attack. His encouraging response removed the doubts about his appetite and mental toughness in adversity.Only a reversion to 4-5-1 with Rooney the lone centre-forward could consign Bulgaria's six-times footballer of the year to the seat he occupied for all bar one of United's Champions League ties in 2009-10. In that season his strike rate dropped from 14 in his debut year to 12 and speculation spread that United would give up on him in this summer's transfer window."I am going nowhere. I have arrived where I want to be. I have arrived at the summit," Berbatov announced as the crows on the wire predicted his departure.It sounded like bravado as Ferguson signed Javier Hernández and Bébé and spoke again on the pre-season tour of America of the long-term potential of Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck.A cynic might speculate that Berbatov's rebirth is related to his knowledge that the four-year deal he signed on 1 September 2008 expires at the end of next season. He would hardly be the first top-level player to see his contract slide into the two-year danger zone and then shake a leg. He will be 30 in January. His international retirement in May was framed as a surrender to weariness with Bulgarian football politics but was probably more an attempt to revive his club career.The symbolic declaration of intent was his spectacular chip in the Community Shield against Chelsea. "He's an important player for us. It's an old habit when players who come to United and they're not scoring three goals a game or making 50 passes they get slaughtered," Ferguson said. "He has great talent. You can't dispute the man's ability – he's a genius at times. Maybe it's going to be his season now."In the weekend's 3-3 draw with Everton it was noticeable that United's midfielders were more confident in believing Berbatov would keep his feet in motion and dash on to the end of ambitious passes rather than wait around like an elegant refugee from the 1970s.His goal, United's second, came from a classic ball over the top of a centre-half, from Scholes, which asked Berbatov to hunt then sprint before he could set up an artistic finish with the out-step of his right boot.Scholes and Ryan Giggs are marking fewer allowances for him now. Berbatov has responded by signing up to the harder half of a United striker's job specification. Not unreservedly, but enough to stop him drifting like a passenger. With 32 goals in all in European competition and two Champions League final appearances already there is not a doubt about his talent.Cantona was on a permanent war footing: cocked and combative. Berbatov, "the man with the Dracula haircut", according to one Community Shield report, is a lone wolf too, but more of the suffering kind. No longer, though, are the cognoscenti dismissing him as the right player in the wrong team. The rise in his productivity this autumn could yet prompt Rooney's return to the more withdrawn position Fabio Capello has allocated him with England.Industry is non-negotiable for all United players but we all know Berbatov was not bought to charge around. The qualities that caused him to cost an initial £23.4m were those on show at Everton: the ones that are impossible for opponents to predict.Manchester UnitedChampions LeaguePaul Haywardguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Sale's unhappy run at the Rec continues as Bath finish with a flourish Bath left it late to claim the four-try bonus point as Sale continued their miserable record at the Recreation Ground. Young centre Ben Williams came off the bench to add the crucial score two minutes from time, leaving Sale with just one win in nine Premiership trips to Bath. Bath's earlier tries had come from prop Duncan Bell, Shontayne Hape and Matt Carraro, with Olly Barkley contributing all four conversions and a penalty.The home side, smarting from the physical punishment dished out by Northampton in their last meeting, persisted with Bell at tighthead after he had come on as replacement at Franklin's Gardens. The only other change saw Michael Claassens recalled at scrum-half. The tighthead Karena Wihongi returned to the Sale starting line-up along with the scrum-half Dwayne Peel, while Dave Seymour took over the captaincy from James Gaskell.After Barkley's conversion had given Bath a 24-6 half-time lead, Sale reappeared with greater urgency, but soon they were under pressure again when an inch-perfect punt to the corner by Barkley in the opposite corner put Bath in a dangerous position and, although Sale earned a scrum put-in, the home eight forced the turnover. Carraro was hauled down on the other side of the field as Sale defended desperately.Carraro led a dazzling breakout supported by Watson and the chance appeared to go begging when Nick Abendanon spilled the ball. But Sale were guilty of a forward pass and Bath took their chance from the scrum to put Ben Williams in at the corner, Barkley converting. There was still time for Sisaro Lewaravu to grab a consolation score, converted by Paul Williams. PremiershipBathSaleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
TDF winner Alberto Contador denies blood doping By DANIEL WOOLLS 2010-10-01T15:29:03ZMADRID (AP) -- Three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador denies that his positive test for a banned drug stems from blood doping rather than contaminated steak, his spokesman said Friday.... hosted.ap.org |
Andy Hunter: Focus kept off Liverpool's derby task While the battle for ownership rages on in the courts Liverpool's manager knows it is time to get on with the gameThere would have been no better way for New England Sports Ventures to demonstrate that Liverpool have moved on than by taking in their first game as owners at Goodison Park on Sunday. The club have been exposed to ridicule, prostituted and fractured for three years and have had to rely on Mr Justice Floyd to deliver their one impressive performance of the season so far. It is time to get on with the game.John W Henry, Tom Werner and company had promised to attend the 214th Merseyside derby before yesterday's order blocking the sale. Regardless of the performance of Roy Hodgson's team against Everton, should they eventually become Anfield's new owners they would be unlikely to lose sight of the formidable task ahead. NESV has already granted a beleaguered manager time to prove himself and Hodgson must be relieved at how the off-field drama of the past two weeks has shifted the scrutiny from himself.It has not vanished entirely, however, and whatever the intentions in the boardroom the fact remains that Hodgson must produce some emphatic verdicts of his own to convince the club's support. The argument that this is a derby the Liverpool manager can ill-afford to lose remains as valid today as it did in the aftermath of being outplayed at home by Blackpool. "Above Us Only Sky" is the neat tag line at the city's John Lennon Airport, prompting one wag to note "Below Us Only Wolves and West Ham".The cries for Kenny Dalglish at Anfield on 3 October were a lament for Liverpool's accelerated decline this season but also an outpouring of the frustration that had developed over how the club was run. The latter, at least, has been released.Tom Hicks and George Gillett being run out of town and losing a minimum of £101m along the way is a prospect that will uplift everyone connected with Liverpool. Teams that hide behind the excuse of off-field distractions do not generally command sympathy but some is due here. Such has been the constant negativity around Liverpool since the relationship between Hicks and Gillett fractured in late 2007 over plans for a new stadium that the impact has been unavoidable.As Steven Gerrard said yesterday: "It seems things are nearly sorted off the pitch, so we need to start getting them right on it by getting three points at Goodison on Sunday. I know how frustrated the fans have been with what has been going on and I can understand their feelings. But we've all suffered in this, especially the supporters, and now it's time for us all to pull together and help move the club forward."An important distinction should not be lost on Liverpool's prospective new owners. Anfield is euphoric because of a Munchkin moment. The witches are dead and NESV has the red shoes to compliment its Red Sox, subject to appeal. The elation has not arisen from an impending union with more American businessmen. Their origins do not matter. The fact they are not leveraged and are paying £240m in cash does. But along with Hicks and Gillett, Peter Lim and Mill Financial, NESV are capitalists interested in the profit potential of Liverpool and recent history has taught Anfield's support to treat them with caution.Liverpool will afford Henry and his 16 fellow investors in NESV a warm reception but trust must be earned. The promises that plagued Hicks and Gillett, once exposed as empty, have been conspicuous by their absence from NESV, a lesson has clearly been learnt and there is widespread acceptance that the rebuilding of Liverpool – squad as well as stadium – is an arduous process. Merely addressing those problems would represent a radical departure from the previous American regime.Hodgson needs money to spend in January, a notoriously difficult time to buy, as despite having Gerrard and Joe Cole at his disposal the midfield options are woefully inadequate. The manager is not blameless on this score, having spent £5m on Christian Poulsen and £10.7m on a talent he has admitted he cannot accommodate in his best position, Raul Meireles. Pace in a defence that sits so deep it could empathise with the Chilean miners is another pressing requirement.Leading players have grown disillusioned during Liverpool's metamorphosis into a business and legal dispute and do not have the years required before the club can reap the rewards of a new 60,000-plus capacity stadium. They need to be sold on NESV's vision immediately. The group has already discussed financing options for a stadium with the Royal Bank of Scotland and has made known its intentions to meet Joe Anderson, the leader of Liverpool city council, as it considers a redevelopment of Anfield. Both are encouraging signs towards remedying a 40-year-old problem, although the council is firmly in favour of a new arena that will trigger the regeneration of a depressed area. Re-engaging supporters who have been treated with contempt in recent years should also be a priority and the chief executive, Christian Purslow, has said it will be.It has been a historic, overdue day but now the hard work begins where it matters most.LiverpoolRoy HodgsonAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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