United turn to Berbatov

It had to happen. With his record of injuries it was always going to. Manchester United fans endured a horrible 90 minutes in Munich, possibly the worst their team has performed all season. And as if letting a one goal lead be completely reversed in the closing moments was not bad enough, the thing United fans had been fearing all season finally happened - Wayne Rooney fell to the floor in a heap clutching his ankle. Disaster. He left the field courtesy of the support of two men, and it is tempting to think that United's season was leaving the field with him.

The prognosis isn't quite so bad. Alex Ferguson has confirmed that the anticipated recovery time is three weeks and the hope is that he will return in time for the Manchester derby with those noisy neighbours. Apparently United fans are supposed to believe this is good news. Unfortunately though, his injury comes at the business end of the season. With the return fixture from the aforementioned Bayern match next week as well as the potential title decider against Chelsea both looming large, it is not the most opportune time for United's leading light to raise the white flag.

United now go into these crucial matches with Berbatov leading the line. In defence of the much maligned Bulgarian, his record this season is somewhat improved on his poor debut year and he appears to be in relatively good form. However, there is a reason he tends not to be selected for the big occasions. Ferguson's preference for the 4-5-1 formation in the big matches is likely to be the structure once again for the next two games. Berbatov played well last week against Bolton in the same set up. The big question now is can he do it against two teams of real pedigree and stature.

One of the main issues with Berbatov playing as a lone frontman is that he likes to drop deep and play as a link man. There were frustrating moments last weekend when he dropped into midfield to collect the ball, leaving a chasm where the forward should be. In a 4-5-1 he has to attempt to resist the temptation to drop so deep too frequently. The result can only be to stifle the midfield. By the time he lays the ball off, there is no one far enough forward to receive the next pass. When one notes the great players used as a single frontman they tend to be fantastically mobile, good at holding the ball up, and willing to graft to ensure room is made for midfielders breaking from deep. These are characteristics of the like's of Rooney and Drogba. While Berbatov demonstrates some of them, others surface less frequently. In the next three weeks he may have to bring them to the fore more often if United's season is to remain on track without their talisman.