I think De Bruyne is a superior passer in the final third to Pogba, but that's like saying Messi is better than Cristiano, it's true but the margin is very small. Pogba is capable of doing all the passes De Bruyne does, what I give Kevin the edge on (besides the offensive system that gives him more options throughout the game for those kind of passes) is the consistency and weight of his passes which are almost always close to perfect. The stats will favor him due to his position on the field and the system he plays in when it comes to assists and chance creation, but I think their range and abilities with passing are very close.
Pogba vs De Bruyne: who is the better passer?
- Thread starter Fortitude
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De Bruyne is the better passer. Pogba is the better midfielder
I feel like Mourinho’s pragmatism is holding back Pogba from showcasing his ability.
I will have to choose De Bruyne for this one.
I will have to choose De Bruyne for this one.
Two incredible players, both amongst the best in the world. KdB is more of an attacker and old winger, he is more often used to delivering the final ball - even though being pulled further back this year. So over a season, I expect him to have more goals and assists in total since all City-players are in the box anyway. KdB is also more or a match-winner, popping up with goals when it matters.
Pogba controls the game more and can take a physical battle, win headers and so forth - it’s sometimes like playing with 11,5 players. He also has excellent passing ability and seldom gives it away, he also sees spaces and pockets like few others.
Right now Pogba needs to start scoring long-range shots and free-kicks to reach the level of KdB, he is just behind him. I don’t really want to talk any of them down, I enjoy seeing both of them whenever I can - they’re excellent. Pogba has been limited by his injury and had to re-boot, and now once more. I have seen KdB do unreal stuff on the pitch this season, some of his assists have been magic.
Pogba controls the game more and can take a physical battle, win headers and so forth - it’s sometimes like playing with 11,5 players. He also has excellent passing ability and seldom gives it away, he also sees spaces and pockets like few others.
Right now Pogba needs to start scoring long-range shots and free-kicks to reach the level of KdB, he is just behind him. I don’t really want to talk any of them down, I enjoy seeing both of them whenever I can - they’re excellent. Pogba has been limited by his injury and had to re-boot, and now once more. I have seen KdB do unreal stuff on the pitch this season, some of his assists have been magic.
Barcelona should forget Coutinho and replace Iniesta with Pogba.
This as well.
Both great in their own ways. Comparing apples to oranges in a way but they definitely have their own, unique, set of skills which make them such special talents.
But in all honesty, i'd rather they take Coutinho than Pogba
. I'd rather they get neither though 
(in fact, we should be all over Coutinho ourselves)With Isco already in the team, what do you want Coutinho for? To try Isco shoe so that it's in perfect condition to use?
But in all honesty, i'd rather they take Coutinho than Pogba
feck off
Coutinho needs to be liberated and the only way to do that is at BarcaKeep him away from barcelona
This. Pogba has a lot of responsibility as compared to De bruyne,i am not underestimating De bruyne,some of his passes are almost impossible for other players. I feel Pogba has more range though,If i had to choose one out of them for a long ball or a ball beyond the head of the defenders then it will Pogba,On the ground it will be De bruyne. Although Pogba is much more crazy as a player and has a lot of other things in his locker.
De Bruyne is the better crosser. People have the belief that he is just good on ground passes but he has Beckham esque crossing ability out wide thus their range is similar. Its hard to gauge his ranged passing because Pep wants balls on the ground, thus his players to work the ball towards goal on the deck.
Reading some of the responses in here, it is sad how underappreciated Pogba really is. I think I have already said this but I think Pogba is an elite player and he reminds me of Frank Rijkaard during the first phase of his career. I think he is the best footballer in the premier league.
As for comparing the 2 players, we have to first ask what kind of passing are we talking about? Strategic passing, through balls, switch passes, combination passing? Each pass requires different weight and have different functions.
Another thing to consider is the teams they both play for. Kevin de Bruyne benefits heavily from playing in a system where each player knows the position to occupy.
Put Paul Pogba in the Manchester City team and he would be as spectacular if not more so.
Pogba has to be a lot more creative in his passing than Kevin De Bruyne has to be and Kevin de Bruyne benefits from having players that can receive worse passes better.
Remember, a good pass requires both the receiver and passer to play their part.
Crossing I would say Kevin de Bruyne is better at whipped in crosses whilst Pogba is better at floating crosses but that could be a result of the type of players around them. City have smaller players whilst United have taller players so perhaps this is more of the crosses they utilise more often than saying one is outright better might be circumstantial.
Through ball I would say Pogba is better at the floated through balls over the top whilst kevin de bruyne is better at the lower/grounded through balls. The difference is not by much and perhaps once again based on their roles they display the two types more than the other.
Switch passing which is essentially more about range here. I feel Pogba has a wider passing range but then again we have seen Kevin de Bruyne switch the ball but he doesn't do it that often because manchester city play short passes to move the team towards the opposition goal.
Pogba is better at passing with his weaker foot. A good example will be that pass for Lukaku this week against CSKA Moscow.
https://imgtc.com/w/hqPvyXy
From dead ball situations Kevin de Bruyne is better.
Strategic passing is more difficult to do as I would say both are about the same. Kevin de Bruyne has improved a lot since Pep Guardiola took over as he was a lot more, shall we say, trigger happy with going for killer balls even when his teams were not organised enough to prevent a counter attack from a loss of possession but his improvement has a lot to do with the way the team plays. Pogba is a lot riskier and maybe loses the ball a lot more but I feel that has more to him bearing the burden of manchester united's creativity almost exclusively so he has to attempt a lot riskier plays.
In tighter spaces to get out of a press Pogba is superior at utilising one twos in quick combination to keep pushing the ball forward because of his unique combination of athleticism, ball control and vision. Kevin de Bruyne is great at turning when he is pressed by a single player but when he has to shield the ball and play out of culdesacs he is not as effecient and is prone to losing the ball then getting frustrated.
Overall I would take Paul Pogba over any current midfielder on the planet because he is a very unique player.
As for comparing the 2 players, we have to first ask what kind of passing are we talking about? Strategic passing, through balls, switch passes, combination passing? Each pass requires different weight and have different functions.
Another thing to consider is the teams they both play for. Kevin de Bruyne benefits heavily from playing in a system where each player knows the position to occupy.
Put Paul Pogba in the Manchester City team and he would be as spectacular if not more so.
Pogba has to be a lot more creative in his passing than Kevin De Bruyne has to be and Kevin de Bruyne benefits from having players that can receive worse passes better.
Remember, a good pass requires both the receiver and passer to play their part.
Crossing I would say Kevin de Bruyne is better at whipped in crosses whilst Pogba is better at floating crosses but that could be a result of the type of players around them. City have smaller players whilst United have taller players so perhaps this is more of the crosses they utilise more often than saying one is outright better might be circumstantial.
Through ball I would say Pogba is better at the floated through balls over the top whilst kevin de bruyne is better at the lower/grounded through balls. The difference is not by much and perhaps once again based on their roles they display the two types more than the other.
Switch passing which is essentially more about range here. I feel Pogba has a wider passing range but then again we have seen Kevin de Bruyne switch the ball but he doesn't do it that often because manchester city play short passes to move the team towards the opposition goal.
Pogba is better at passing with his weaker foot. A good example will be that pass for Lukaku this week against CSKA Moscow.
https://imgtc.com/w/hqPvyXy
From dead ball situations Kevin de Bruyne is better.
Strategic passing is more difficult to do as I would say both are about the same. Kevin de Bruyne has improved a lot since Pep Guardiola took over as he was a lot more, shall we say, trigger happy with going for killer balls even when his teams were not organised enough to prevent a counter attack from a loss of possession but his improvement has a lot to do with the way the team plays. Pogba is a lot riskier and maybe loses the ball a lot more but I feel that has more to him bearing the burden of manchester united's creativity almost exclusively so he has to attempt a lot riskier plays.
In tighter spaces to get out of a press Pogba is superior at utilising one twos in quick combination to keep pushing the ball forward because of his unique combination of athleticism, ball control and vision. Kevin de Bruyne is great at turning when he is pressed by a single player but when he has to shield the ball and play out of culdesacs he is not as effecient and is prone to losing the ball then getting frustrated.
Overall I would take Paul Pogba over any current midfielder on the planet because he is a very unique player.
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KDB is a better passer. Pogba is a more complete player, and will only get better*
*unless he gets worse or stays the same
*unless he gets worse or stays the same
I keep hearing range but what is this 'range' of passing and what does it include? You do realise that Pep may not want De Bruyne and Silva playing aerial passes to their forwards to run onto? This was highlighted as an issue when Cesc played for Barca, being too direct with passes over the top. The style of play may discourage it yet it doesn't mean that the players don't have that range of passing
You can also say same thing that City's style of play brings best out of KdB with all their players making off the ball movements.
Considering that Xavi is one of the best final ball passers in the history of the game this is a baffling comment indeed.
Long and short.
One touch, two touch.
Forward facing, sideways and even behind at times.
Lofted, flat trajectory, along the ground.
Curled, straight, outside of the boot.
Pogba is brilliant at all of them and most importantly knowing when to do them and where the player needs the ball to arrive.
Yeah that's why he had assists in double figures only once in la Liga. Yeah baffling indeed.
And how many assists does Michael Laudrup have in the European Cup?
He usually was the player playing the pre assists. Its obvious Xavi is one of the best final ball players. Also in the Champions league his role changed slightly because most of the teams Barcelona played sat in an extremely low block so Xavi was designated more to controlling the game.
Did you even read the post I was replying to or just started replying randomly? The post I was relying to was about assists, read before relying.
The argumentstill holds. Teams packed the box and defended in low blocks so he was more involved in the ball before the final ball which was almost always harder then the last man played a square pass for a teammate to tap it into the net.
You are repeating what I said and then said comment is baffling
All the comments about Pogba and De Bruyne being different players are based on what we see in the PL, right? If so, fair enough, but if overall, then Pogba played a much more attacking and advanced role at Juventus and demonstrated his crossing, through ball and nuanced passing there in a way he doesn't often get to do at United at the moment.
Still, there is more than one kind of pass or area of the pitch to denote,
De Bruyne has exceptional delivery, but then I'm reading him being compared to Beckham, and I think it's gone a little over the top.
Still, there is more than one kind of pass or area of the pitch to denote,
Thanks for the post. Pogba is being underrated, to quite a baffling degree in some of these posts, actually.
De Bruyne has exceptional delivery, but then I'm reading him being compared to Beckham, and I think it's gone a little over the top.
Beckham was excellent at crossing, he invented that crossing game... but come on, he isn’t even close to de Bruyne when it comes to smartness, flicks and solutions. Beckham saw a defensive line and a striker and hit the striker... KdB is playing chess, he sees stuff before it happens.
Beckham didn't need any kind of cuteness - just the time to look up, spot anyone he wanted, pull his leg back and plop the ball wherever he wanted it to go.
In terms of pure crossing, or feeding the ball on an angle, KDB has a long, long way to go to be in the company of someone like Beckham, who literally has a claim to be the best crosser of a ball there has ever been due to his sheer consistency and precision over a whole career.
Sometimes it's not even the pass itself which is so much better for KDB, but more the decision and timing. I think that in turn is what makes his passing feel so elite.
That's a really great point. In fact, that's where KDB is miles ahead of Pogba at the moment; his timing and nuance of when to do what he does is exceptional.
No one is brilliant at all of them. I would say knowing when to do one touch two touch is an area where he needs to improve on the most, as he is guilty of holding the ball too long in many games.
Pogba, watch his clips on youtube. It's like he can put brakes on the ball. The goals he set up this season for us with the through ball passing is unreal.
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Silly comparison as bith are different players. Pogba is a powerhouse midfielder, box to box so his game is not focused on passing. De bruyne is all about finesse, keeping things ticking, spreading the play. He reminds me mlre of scholes. He ain't bothered about assists he just wants to open up play by finding that space. Scholes for me is th3 best passer I have ever seen. Kevin is similar! Excellent intelligence.
I agree, his diagonal swinging crosses from deep is perhaps the most efficient. De bruyne can hit the ball clean 99% of the time.
But perhaps Pogba if given the same role would flourish with his own style of passing or crossing
I think they have similar feeling and technique but as of now, KDB has better decision making. Potential wise I think Pogba has a higher ceiling and is more complete as a player.
Pogba is stupidly talented and his dribbling/close control is peerless at times. I'm very happy United bought him.
That said, De Bruyne is like Lampard and Scholes rolled into one. He makes me forget he's a City player because he's just bloody brilliant and it's hard to not appreciate a player like him.
Couldn't decide in all honesty.
That said, De Bruyne is like Lampard and Scholes rolled into one. He makes me forget he's a City player because he's just bloody brilliant and it's hard to not appreciate a player like him.
Couldn't decide in all honesty.
Correct! If you watch City play, switching passes are made with Fernandinho. City does play expansive football, but when they need to switch the flanks, Fernandinho is the most responsible to do it. So Pep is maximizing De Bruyne's output to attack rather than spreading the play. But given that Fernandinho role i think he will do a decent job.
Fantastic post
The reason Pogba's passing is so underrated is because he's great at many other things unlike his adversaries and De Bruyne who are all about passing. Hell Fabregas wouldn't even be a footballer if he couldn't pass the ball very well.
sorry but this is
KDB consistently delivers better passes. Pogba has the ability to deliver jaw dropping passes that KDB could never deliver, but misses on some easier stuff as he gets tired throughout a game.