Manchester United Faithful Blast "Lazy" Berbatov
Sir Alex Ferguson started Sunday's FA Cup semifinal against Everton with three men upfront, namely Federico "Kiko" Macheda, Danny Welbeck, and Carlos Tevez.
It was a game which failed to live up to all the hype that was generated ahead of kickoff. Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs, and Michael Carrick were all missing from the side which defeated FC Porto at the Estadio Dragao earlier in the week.
Perhaps Phil Jagielka's trip on Welbeck should have given United a penalty but referee Mike Riley refused to give in.
Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to rest big names after an intense game in Europe could be justified but his selection of penalty takers was bemusing to say the very least.
Dimitar Berbatov came on as an extra time substitute and the Bulgarian forward looked terribly out of sorts. Often termed as "too lazy" or "casual", Berbatov looked demotivated, probably after playing in midweek.
The lanky striker lacked seriousness of intent. A killer instinct was notably missing from his game.
Sir Alex Ferguson chose Dimitar Berbatov to take the first penalty after Tim Cahill had blasted his spot kick over the bar.
The Bulgarian stepped up and quite literally attempted to pass the ball into the centre of the goal, much to the delight of Tim Howard.
It was a pathetic penalty.
Pace, power, placement, timing, execution—all the key elements were missing.
Why Didn't Carlos Tevez Take a Penalty?
The Argentine forward has a record for scoring from the spot whenever he is needed to. He has successfully dispatched spot kicks against Chelsea in the Champions League final and Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup final.
Rio Ferdinand followed and had his penalty saved by the American shot stopper.
Nemanja Vidic and Anderson did score from their respective penalties.
Besides Tevez, in Danny Welbeck a natural striker remained on the pitch, but didn't step up to the plate. Perhaps, Fergie thought he wouldn't be able to bear the pressure.
Nani remained on the bench despite the fact that he too, like Tevez and Anderson, successfully dispatched his kick in Moscow.
The experienced Paul Scholes stood his ground as Ben Foster failed to repeat his heroics in the Carling Cup final.
The United faithful have blasted Berbatov for his lazy attitude but Sir Alex Ferguson has backed his £30 million, deadline day signing to come good, sooner rather than later.
