Where in the World Was Berbatov?

Last Saturday, Manchester United beat Arsenal 2-1 rather luckily.

As a Man Utd fan, I am quite happy that they won and were the first to break Arsenal's spree, however the way they did it is not something that a United fan can be proud of.

Quite frankly, for the first 45 minutes, United looked lost. Going forward they could not string a pass together and they looked quite devoid of creativity.

Man Utd also had trouble holding the ball up and allowing the rest of the players to join in the attack.

It seemed to be the CL final all over again.

However, in the end United got a penalty, which they fully deserved by the way (no matter if Rooney could get the ball or not, you take a man down in the box, that is a penalty), and then Diaby for some bizarre reason perfectly headed the ball in for an own-goal.

But that doesn't cover up the fact that in attack, United had trouble with holding the ball up and creating chances, and playing those killer passes, something that they still couldn't do even after the penalty that energized them.

Something that a certain United player would consider his forte.

The omission of Berbatov from the starting line-up in the CL final and then again on Saturday to me was surprising, and not only that but frustrating.

I, as a fan, am frustrated that Berbatov is omitted from almost every big game; imagine what he is feeling.

Back on May 27 he was what United needed and again on Saturday he is exactly what was needed. And had United not won so luckily, I think quite a few other people would have been asking the same question I am, which is "Why didn't he start?"

Against Wigan, he played damn well. It goes to show that if he isn't scoring, he is creating chances for others to score. His creativity is on par with Ronaldinho's, Kaka's, and Ronaldo's.

He is one of the best at holding up the ball, and then playing that perfect, genius, never-before-seen pass that has assisted the rest of the team so many times as evidenced by his stats from last season.

Last season, Ronaldo had 18 goals and seven assists, while Berbatov had 14 goals and 14 assists. Overall, Ronaldo accounted for 25 goals while Berbatov accounted for 28. Clearly, Berbatov is more effective in the final third, even when playing out-of-position.

And if the partnership between Berbatov and Rooney is ever to blossom, then they'll have to spend more time on the pitch together. It looked good against Wigan, but it needs to be tested vs. the bigger teams.

Perhaps Ferguson was trying to surprise Wenger with Giggs, but the element of surprise was not advantageous enough to really justify his selection ahead of Berbatov.

He is a magnificent player who is one of my favorite to watch (which is why I am frustrated), and he isn't given the respect that he's due.

The next time United play one of the big four, I sure hope to see Berbatov on the field and in the starting 11, where he should be.