Dimitar Berbatov: Manchester United's New Focal Point?

Every great football team has, and always will have, a focal point in attack.  A player they look to when they need goals.  A player they just cannot do without.

Liverpool has Fernando Torres, Barcelona has Lionel Messi, Chelsea has Didier Drogba, for Inter it used to be Zlatan Ibrahimovic—now it's Sneijder—and for Manchster United it used to be a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Traditionally, the players who make the best focal points are those that are the creative outlets; those that have flair and a bit of genius about them and are always a bit on the edge. The true number tens—like Maradona, '05/'06 Ronaldinho, Pele, and now Messi.

They can turn a game in the blink of an eye and create something out of nothing with the beauty and grace that only a true artist is capable of.

As you look through Manchester United's roster, searching for a player with such qualities, the only one who stands out and stands tall is Dimitar Berbatov.

He can do that which takes away every spectator's breath—and perhaps a couple of the defender's as well.  He can create goal-scoring opportunities from that which seems to be nothing. Most importantly, he can be counted on to provide consistently.

When a team is missing their focal point, some of the usual symptoms are a stunted attack, confusion going forward, and a general lack of inspiration and creativity.

All of these symptoms were on display when United lost to Fulham, to Aston Villa before that, to Besiktas, and to all the other losses that United has suffered this season.

An interesting thing to note here is that in all of the matches that United has lost this season, Berbatov did not start.  The only exception to this being the match at Anfield versus Liverpool; obviously.

It's quite simple; when Berbatov starts, United's record is 11-0-1.  When he doesn't; it is 1-1-4—this does not include CL matches.

At the beginning of the season both Berbatov and Rooney were on scoring streaks and played superbly; then Berbatov got injured and United's attack has been on and off since.

Then, last Saturday versus Fulham, after returning from injury and finally being available for selection again, Ferguson decided to bench Berbatov and start Owen alongside Rooney in what was another shambolic display from the United attack—and team in general.

Now that Berbatov has shown to be an integral part of the team, Ferguson needs to designate him as such, and not subject him to such a heavy rotational policy. When the midfield looks up to relay the ball forward to someone, the first person their eyes should be searching for is Dimitar Berbatov. 

Berbatov was the focal point in attack for Tottenham Hotspur from 2006-2008 and he excelled at it. When Spur's midfielders looked up, their eyes first looked for Berbatov, and if he was unattainable, then they'd got to Keane.

This worked to perfection, and there is no reason as to why it shouldn't again, especially with Rooney playing as the supporting striker.

However, Berba needs to play with regularity, and if someone should be rotated more, perhaps it should be Wayne Rooney. He and Owen don't work together very well.  He isn't creative, and excuse-me-for-saying-this, but he hasn't exactly been playing up to his potential these past couple of weeks.

Rooney enjoys a certain amount of space and leniency because he is the "English Golden Boy", however is it not Ferguson who has always maintained that no player is bigger than the club?

Perhaps it's time Rooney was rotated a bit as well; make him work for his spot, else he'll become complacent.

In short, it's high time that United based and centered their attacking play around Berbatov's abilities. Often times to unlock a great player's true potential a team must be sculpted around him.

It may not seem fair that a new player arrives and all of a sudden the team should adjust to him, however sometimes the benefits are just too obvious to be ignored.

We've seen fleeting glimpses of what he can do and it's time United unleash his potential.

For Manchester United to have a devastating, fluid attack again, making Berbatov the focal point is key.