If anyone had the fortune to be watching Spurs v Braga, they will have seen the sublime genius of a certain Dimitar Berbatov.Every decent play, counter attack and all 3 goals came through him -- the first, an extremely classy touch with the outside of his right boot after a peach of a through ball from Keane, looked the easiest of the 3 goals. However, that finish cannot be underestimated, keeping a cool head in such a moment is what great strikers are made of -- he could quite easily have done a Cissé and employed that 20 shot power and 10 shot accuracy and blasted it somewhere in the direction of the goal.
The second goal was divine, it looked incredible, and again the supply ball was equally as important as the finish itself. Aside from the own-goal, Huddlestone's contribution last night was fantastic. He was at the back defending, and bringing the ball through the midfield and scattering passes to the wings. The free kick leading to Berbatov's second was taken quickly with enough backspin on it to allow Berbatov the moment to chest it, and this time, blast it on the half volley. The technique he demonstrated with that finish was up there with Drogba's best performances this season.
Finally, the chipped through ball for Malbranque to score the winner was another moment where Berbatov made it look so easy, yet that touch was perfect. It's all too easy to fluff that sort of 1-2, as Steed's initial pass was moving with a fair amount of pace in such a confined space, requiring Berbatov to act quickly and decisively. He didn't disappoint.
We are witnessing a man in rich vein of form, he has scored 19 in all competitions this season, a considerable return when you take into account that it's his first season in the Premiership, and that he intially struggled with injuries. Following that, Martin Jol's striker rotation policy (seen much more in the beginning of the season where Spurs were struggling to find goal scoring form) has seen Berbatov make 33 starts, Defoe make 26, Keane make 22 and Mido make 11. Between the 4 of them, they have contributed a total of 52 goals, Berbatov's contribution has been nothing short of essential towards this (he has made 12 assists, and had 60 shots on target).
In Dimitar, Spurs have acquired a gem. His contribution to the squad is phenomenal, and his capture from Leverkusen for just shy of £11 million must seem like a bargain. Could he be a sign of things to come from Tottenham, or another flash in the pan? Only time will tell, but at 26 he isn't going anywhere soon.
Click here for highlights of last night's game (Tottenham 3 - 2 Braga)
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