But if anyone can snap that wretched sequence, Berbatov can. Having lifted his Uefa score to five in the last four outings with what he cheerfully acknowledges was a gift against the supine opposition of Dynamo Bucharest on Thursday night, Berbatov will be applying himself to the rather more difficult task of taking apart the defence of a City team which, he says, has "great players and a great coach." Though gratified by the compliment, Stuart Pearce and his employees will be careful not to grant Berbatov the freedom of the park he enjoyed against Bucharest, a freedom his brilliance has engineered in most of those European outings, particularly since the Berbatov-Jermain Defoe striking partnership has started to gell attractively enough to bring a satisfied smile to manager Martin Jol's jowls.

Though his English does not yet stray far from the cliched world of footballerspeak, Berbatov is confident he can repeat the free-scoring season he enjoyed at Bayer Leverkusen which persuaded Spurs to part with £10.9m last summer. He already has 10, so could 20 be on the cards? Brief pause for thought at pitchside after the Bucharest demolition, then comes the opinion: "If we play like a team, support each other, it's possible for me to get 20." Or possibly more than 20, since Berbatov insists he has not yet unveiled top form for Tottenham.

For one thing, he does not find the pace, power and frequency of Premiership matches the burden which seems to afflict so many arrivals from the Continent.

"I enjoy two matches every week, I prefer to play as much as possible because that's how you can improve and show people what you are made of. The game is much more physical over here but I am a big guy, I am not afraid, that's why I improve myself every time."

That said, Berbatov agrees that the Uefa Cup pace is most agreeable "because I played five, six years in European football, so the experience I bring can help the other guys in the team. And they are helping me adjust more quickly in the English league. So it's like, they help me, I help them."

There was also some help forthcoming on Thursday night from Bucharest's powder puff performance, explainable perhaps by the fact they had already qualified for the last 32 and were accompanied on their trip to London by wives and girl friends on a club-sponsored shopping expedition.

It will be tougher, much tougher, today against Manchester City. Even Southend can be expected to offer more resistance than a flat Dynamo managed when they come to White Hart Lane for a Carling Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.

"This will be the highlight of their whole season, " ventured Berbatov, perhaps forgetting that Southend's last victims were Manchester United. "But we are fully concentrated, 100 per cent. I think we will go through."

Possibly with another goal or two from the can-can man.