On Another Planet - Berbatov and Tottenham

Around about 6 minutes and 26 seconds into last nights game at The Valley I started to feel sorry for Charlton. A few moments earlier Dimitar Berbatov stuck his right foot out to meet a punt up field and deftly cushioned the ball past Talal El Karkouri. The touch was majestic but more importantly the Bulgarian's movement was instantaneous; it was a matter of milliseconds between the ball being flicked into position and the striker moving away to meet it. At this point Berbatov existed not only on a different level, but a dramatically different footballing planet to his hapless Charlton opponent. Like Shearer and Van Nistelrooy in their prime Berbatov appears fast without possessing raw pace, simply because his movement and footballing guile give him an edge over even the most wily or pacey defender. As he broke clear of El Karkouri despite the head-start he had given the Moroccan defender, the goal was inevitable. It had, perhaps, between inevitable from the moment the ball had glanced off Berbatov's perfectly poised foot on the half-way line. Regardless, as the ball nestled in Scott Carson's net, and the Tottenham faithful bayed their approval, the cameras panned across to a stricken and desperate corpse. El Karkouri was sprawled across the pitch as if in an attempt to reclaim some of the dignity Berbatov had so ruthlessly snatched from him moments before. Injured or not it was an act that belittled the goal and it's scorer. It wasn't the Moroccan's fault, he'd simply been beaten by a better man. It was a this point that I began to feel sorry for Charlton and than nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach returned.

I just can't seem to shake it. It's not that I'm panicking with some irrational fear that Berbatov is, at this very moment, dusting off his bike in preparation to peddle as fast as he possibly can toward Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge or the Channel Tunnel. I firmly believe that the immensely gifted striker, who now has 22 goals in his first season in English football (a remarkable return, especially when compared to certain other players bought on the back of big reputations in foriegn leagues) will be a donning the lilly-white of Tottenham Hotspur once more next season. As a Leverkusen player he demonstrated nothing more than an admirable level of professionalism and loyalty in remaining with the club several years after their fall from grace as a European force. Tottenham, despite a rocky season, are a club moving forward and I believe that Dimitar shares that vision. This belief is fueled by his demeanor and relationship with the fans. I am, however, worried about his future beyond next season.

You see, with his dashing goodlooks, propensity to score beautiful goals that adhere to a long forgotten and somewhat mystical 'Tottenham tradition' of beautiful football and stunning command of a football, I cannot imagine a Berbatov-less Tottenham. However, if the club fails to bring back silverware and perhaps more importantly Champions League football next season, Dimitar will be well within his rights to pick up his hat and go. Though I don't adhere to rivals fans taunts of 'he's too good for Tottenham' because they are jibes born purely out of bitterness on the most part, I do think 'we aren't good enough for Berbatov'. Such is the mans class that he deserves to play on the biggest stages and at the current time the Champions League is the stage that the best players strut their stuff on. Berbatov belongs there - his goals against Braga, 'Boro, West Ham all support this. At present we have demonstrated this season that we are far behind achieving the necessary league position in order to achieve the Champions League football that is required to keep Berbatov at the club. Yet the quandary is that without him we would have no chance.

Dimitar Berbatov is a player the likes of which the club has not seen since another import from the Bundesliga rolled into N17 in average mans car and stole the hearts of every Tottenham fan. It is with no exaggeration when I say that Dimitar is on the brink of a similar level of adulation. His importance to the club now transcends his impact on the football field; his presence represents a signal of intent. If the board is truly behind Martin Jol's attempts to restore Tottenham to a position of true power in English football then Daniel Levy must slap back any advance made toward Berbatov, no matter what the price. Yeah we we'll probably double our money - so what? How could we attract a player of equal or better ability if all we've shown is that as soon as we have a truly world class player, we sell him to the highest bidder. Levy and Jol must show Berbatov this summer that the club can match his ambition; strengthen where we need to strengthen; progress where we need to progress.

Next season we will start with a Berbatov fully adapted to all elements of Premiership life. Had that been the case this season, who knows where we would be now. The important thing then is to show him that we can make the step up to the stage where he deserves to be playing.