Some stats (PL and CL)
Assists (open play)
Pogba - 9
Eriksen - 10
B. Silva - 6
Through balls
Pogba - 4
Eriksen - 9
B. Silva - 5
Chances created (open play)
Pogba - 52
Eriksen - 51
B. Silva - 52
Goals scored (no pen)
Pogba - 5
Eriksen - 5
B. Silva - 6
Whoscored rating
Pogba - 7.41, 6.88
Eriksen - 7.10, 7.49
B. Silva - 7.17, 7.57
D. Silva - 7.31, 7.48
Redcafe rating
Pogba - 6.1 (4th best behind Shaw, de Gea, and Lindelof)
You can take away Pogba's pens, but you can't take away his creative ability or how close he is in every stat. I took away assists and chances created from corners or fks since you guys said no pens for Pogba.
I'm not saying that Pogba isn't currently playing well because of his teammates. I just don't think he should be sold. We should buy players to make his job easier though. No, not to build around him, but to simply have a better team. Tired of wank players like bird shit Young. Tired of people thinking we should sell him instead of just criticizing his performance for that match he stunk it up. It's clear that the price tag does a lot to cloud people's opinions, but you shouldn't let it cloud the objective fact that he's been one of our top performers. If we want to save money, just start integrating our young talents to fill in for some of these overpaid squad players.
edited in redcafe ratings ffs
First of all, this is a very good post. Well done. And I am firmly of the opinion that Pogba is an amazingly gifted player who should not be sold unless he is desperate to leave.
However, permit me to scrutinize a bit with an open mind here.
I have always argued that stats do not tell all the stories but if we were to stick to stats just for a minute, I think other numbers might help to put these impressive ones into proper perspective. I mean numbers that rate him in terms of dispossession and work rate. It would also be interesting to know how much his numbers spiked after Ole came in and how much they have dropped since Jose's departure atmosphere waned. This takes me to important non- stat issues that matter when I am valuing players. If he downed tools under Jose, picked up after he got Jose fired and is now having a drop in form again, how much of an influence did that have on other players? How much influence did that have on the team? How much did that impact on our current struggles to make top four? How much of an influence did his attitude have on other players in the dressing room?
These are non-stat issues that matter a lot because what ultimately counts is the team and the type of influence a player is having on the entire team. (This is why I would rather sell a great player to buy a less talented one if the latter will give the team more balance).
We also have to compare his output with his capability. I believe that based on talent alone, Pogba has the capacity to be mentioned in conversations on the midfield GOAT. I have been a football fan for a few decades. Frankly, I have only seen very few players like Pogba who possess the kind of balance he has between physicality and sheer footballing skills. It's a very, very rare combination. One thing everyone here seems to agree on is that Pogba is an immensely gifted player but he does not deliver consistently enough. So for me, while it is fine to compare him with other players, I like to consider his output viz a viz what I know he can deliver.
Having said all these, your point is brilliant: we shouldn't be seeking to sell such a player unless he is unwilling to play for us (and change mentally). I agree with this.