Manchester United FC: We can regain Champions League title this year, Dimitar Berbatov

Aug 27 2009 by Our Correspondent, Daily Post

Manchester United FC: DIMITAR BERBATOV is confident Manchester United can go that one step further this year and regain the Champions League title.

United were beaten 2-0 in the final in Rome last May by Barcelona, and ahead of today’s draw for the group stage the Red Devils striker is confident United will excel again.

In fact, the Bulgarian striker says he’s already dreaming of lifting the trophy in Madrid next May.

“After what happened in last year’s final I think we’re even more determined in Europe this time around,” he said.

“For me, losing in Rome was doubly frustrating because I wasn’t at the club when the team won in Moscow – I’ve never won the Champions League so losing to Barcelona was very upsetting.

“This year our aim is to make it all the way to Madrid. The Bernabeu is one of the best stadiums in the world and I know we’re good enough to make it back there and, this time, win it.”

Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand believes Michael Owen’s first goal for United will kick-start a scoring spree.

Owen has not been happy at the assessment of his first few United appearances.

Although he was top scorer on the club’s Far East tour, Owen had not scored in six matches prior to Saturday’s visit to Wigan and some critics were already claiming Sir Alex Ferguson had made a mistake bringing the 29-year-old to Old Trafford.

Owen rounded on his accusers at the weekend and has now been backed by Ferdinand, who was at the DW Stadium to watch the Red Devils romp to a 5-0 win.

“He has been hammered yet he has not even played a full 90 minutes,” Ferdinand said. “People have said he was finished and was not worth the risk, yet he scored with probably his hardest chance of the season.

“But I think that goal on Saturday will catapult him towards scoring a few more.”

While United have to somehow make up for the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo’s phenomenal goals output, Ferdinand has faith in all his team’s strikers.

Good friend Wayne Rooney has hit the ground running and is already up to four for the campaign, while Berbatov also broke his duck at Wigan.

“People say certain things about Dimitar but he is always the first into training and the last to leave,” said Ferdinand.

“He is a dedicated professional who wants to score goals for Manchester United.

“Maybe he is not like Wayne in the sense of being 100mph all the time. He is quite relaxed and does things in his own time. But you do not win the league with 11 players who are all the same.”

Ferdinand will be a spectator again on Saturday when United tackle high-flying Arsenal hoping their Champions League tussle with Celtic has taken some of the edge off the Gunners’ fine form.

Victory would allow the Red Devils to take a certain amount of satisfaction from the first four games of the season, even if the defeat at Burnley has left a bit of a stain.

And Ferdinand will be happy enough if September 1 passes with no further additions to the squad, even though Ferguson has been linked with bids for Arjen Robben and Luka Modric in the last few days.

“The manager has so much intelligence and experience,” he said. “He is not looking for a like-for-like replacement for Ronaldo. He wants players who can push the team further. If we go into the season with what we have now I would sit very comfortably in our changing room.

“We have been successful in the last few years and we are not a one-man team.”