Thursday, October 9, 2008

Berbatov backed for a scoring spree


Patrice Evra has backed Dimitar Berbatov to continue scoring for Manchester United FC after the forward opened his account for the club with two well-taken goals in the 3-0 Group E victory at Aalborg BK.

Barren start
The 27-year-old Bulgarian international gave United a two-goal cushion in the 55th minute before sealing the result with a smart scissor-kick eleven minutes from time. It was a welcome double for Berbatov after he failed to find the net in his first three outings following his €38m move from Tottenham Hotspur FC and Evra, who himself took time to show his best form after moving to Old Trafford from AS Monaco FC in January 2006, believes there is more to come. "It is important for strikers to score and I'm happy for Dimitar because he has done that now – I am sure he will again soon," said Evra. "It is not easy to play for Manchester United because you are expected to win every game, the attention is always on you. I felt that when I started here but we have a good squad and they always help players to adapt quickly."

Four points
More important for United than Berbatov's goals was the victory, which put them on four points, the same as Villarreal CF who frustrated the UEFA Champions League holders' progress with a goalless draw in Manchester a fortnight ago. Having obtained their first win of the campaign, Evra is confident his side can now discover their very best form. "We were disappointed to draw our first game but winning away in the Champions League is a bonus so it is great to have done that," he added. "The confidence is there in the team as long as we keep working hard. I am sure we will win many more games." The only negative aspect for United was the injury sustained by Paul Scholes who tore knee ligaments in a challenge with Thomas Augustinussen and could be out for two months.

Back to earth
For Aalborg the process of recovery must now start. The Danish side drew confidence from their draw at Celtic FC on Matchday 1 but were brought back to earth following this resounding home loss. They now face a double-header against Villarreal but defender Michael Beauchamp is confident they can still qualify for the next stage. "It's going to be a tough test but there is no pressure on us, nobody expects us to win, so we can just go out and play," said the Australian. "I feel we can do a good job in both games."