[Zlatan Ibrahomovic]

Pogba is the reason we can dominate teams like Sheffield Utd which he showed yesterday with an amazing pass for the first goal and creating the third. Yes he lost the ball a few times but so does Fred, and he hasn't created a scoring chance since he left Shaktar Donetsk.

As someone else wrote, Pogba is so much better than all other options in this club or on the market that it's ridiculous.

 

[Giggsy13]

Even when he does some brilliant stuff going forward he can't help himself, was another unprofessional performance. There might have been more but there was at least 3 occasions when he was caught in possession not far from his own box. It shouldn't happen once never mind 3 times, he's a complete liability and its only a matter of time before he'll be punished for it.

100% agree with this. That’s why I wouldn’t start him n a deep midfield role against Leeds, it’s bound to lead to a number of mindless errors by Pogba.

 

[Trequarista10]

Pogba is the reason we can dominate teams like Sheffield Utd which he showed yesterday with an amazing pass for the first goal and creating the third. Yes he lost the ball a few times but so does Fred, and he hasn't created a scoring chance since he left Shaktar Donetsk.

As someone else wrote, Pogba is so much better than all other options in this club or on the market that it's ridiculous.

Absolutely. We choose to play him deep too, so of course he will occasionally give the ball away in dangerous areas. He's never going to be a deep-lying metronome who finishes every game with 200 passes and a 99% pass accuracy, but he will be more creative and penetrative with the ball.

Problem is he's so good people expect too much from him. They want him to ping through balls consistently, beat a man with skill (or two men for our 3rd goal yesterday), but also never give the ball away.

Against weaker sides absolutely love having Pogba in a midfield 2. For his and United's benefit, in tougher games, we need to play with 3 in midfield.

 

[CG1010]

Pogba is the reason we can dominate teams like Sheffield Utd which he showed yesterday with an amazing pass for the first goal and creating the third. Yes he lost the ball a few times but so does Fred, and he hasn't created a scoring chance since he left Shaktar Donetsk.

As someone else wrote, Pogba is so much better than all other options in this club or on the market that it's ridiculous.

Yes, but he isn't consistent with his performances. That's the problem.

 

[Ali Dia]

The problem with Pogba is that he is our best midfielder when he really shouldn't be. I really don't know what's his best position or how to get the best out of him.

We need him on the pitch as he is able to play these killer passes that unlock defenses. None of our other midfielders can remote do what he does from an attacking standpoint. He is a ball carrier and a great passer but gives the ball away in dangerous situations so can't be played behind an attacking midfielder like Bruno. Maybe he can play better in a 3 man midfield when is the most advanced midfielder but then he lacks the movement and general awareness of a forward player.

He is a liability and an asset at the same time. It's a corundum.

So true. He never even tries to win the midfield battle but if he’s given time and space he’ll pick out passes like that or crack one in from the edge of the area. If the oppo get in on him he’s way too easy to neutralise and he’s a liability close to our goal. For someone so talented he’s quite one dimensional. If he took a look at his own game he’d stop the messing about because that’s what the team needs but he doesn’t care enough to tweak and that’s why we need to get rid while we can still get good money for him.

 

[berbatrick]

Its wise to remember we played the team bottom of the table last night, Pogba did nothing against City.

He was the only attacking player who showed any competence in that match, most people seemed to agree.
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/paul-pogba-2020-21-performances.457012/page-108#post-26483870

 

[Plymouth Red]

Ok, he’s playing well...for him.

But is this really good enough for us? Just because he’s playing better doesn’t mean he’s suddenly the greatest thing since sliced bread.

He has it all, this has never been in doubt. But for every great thing he does, there’s a load of shit which negates it. And it’s the same mistakes over and over again. He doesn’t learn, he doesn’t develop his game and hasn’t since he won the WC.

I’m gutted as I thought he’d be our main man. When he’s gone and we have someone giving 7/8’s out of 10 each game rather than someone (Pogba) giving 9/10 sporadically (not over 90 minutes) with 3/10 performances mixed in then we will be better off long term.

He’s done some fantastic stuff for his YouTube reel these last couple of weeks but his ‘stick your arse out to hold off two players instead of releasing it early and losing it’ signature move may not make the cut.

I’d love it if he could kick on, become more consistent, help to win us a trophy or two but even his biggest fans must see that the likelihood is these ‘better’ performances are a precursor to numerous below par ones.

Couldn’t agree with you more. Too many false dawns, so let’s everyone move on, draw a line and start a new chapter here and in his career.

 

[Tomuś]

He's been fine lately, et's be fair. No problems with his on-field work.

 

[Harry190]

played very well last night. Did everything you can ask of him defensively and some lovely stuff offensively.

Looks a lot fitter again which is the main difference really.



are you watching the same team? It's quite clear you either don't know what a good performance is or your hatred of him is letting it effect your judgement. That was not a poor performance by any means.

No wonder people are getting angry with him if those are the sort of levels you're expecting from him, it's ridiculous.

Nope, was a poor performance. By his own standards. He lost the ball too many times. He lost the ball which directly led to the corner for the second goal. Got away with it because we played against a team that has 1 point in 12 games. He can do better.

 

[432JuanMata]

Nope, was a poor performance. By his own standards. He lost the ball too many times. He lost the ball which directly led to the corner for the second goal. Got away with it because we played against a team that has 1 point in 12 games. He can do better.

No way was it poor literally no way. I agree that he wasn’t excellent overall but that’s the player he is he can do the pass for the second goal and the turn for the third but will give the ball away quite a bit it’s the player he is. The problem for us is against better teams we can’t play him and Bruno as Bruno does the same as I said above but is more productive hence why Pogba mostly gets left out

 

[Based Adnan]

Overall done well last night but a better team punishes us when he loses the ball in a dangerous position like he did multiple times yesterday

 

[Nialler]

He played well last night, credit where its due. I'd love to have the Pogba with those kind of performances in the team every game but lets not kid ourselves, he is on record as saying he wants to leave and his agent reiterated it again last week. Is he trying harder to impress potential suitors? I hope thats not the case and that he sacks his agent but I'm finding it difficult not to be cynical right now.

 

[Adam-Utd]

He played well last night, credit where its due. I'd love to have the Pogba with those kind of performances in the team every game but lets not kid ourselves, he is on record as saying he wants to leave and his agent reiterated it again last week. Is he trying harder to impress potential suitors? I hope thats not the case and that he sacks his agent but I'm finding it difficult not to be cynical right now.

I'm not 100% sure he wants to leave, I just think he wants a final huge contract. I think the signs were United WAS going to give it to him, but then since his injury problems they've maybe stopped talks - now Raiola is kicking off and fishing for attention.

If we give him the offer he wants I think he'd be happy to stay, otherwise he will leave on a free and earn the wage he wants.

 

[Threesus]

I hope Pogba puts in good performances till he leaves so that we can atleast make part of the money that we spent on him.

 

[Brophs]

This time it’ll be different....

 

[Harry190]

No way was it poor literally no way. I agree that he wasn’t excellent overall but that’s the player he is he can do the pass for the second goal and the turn for the third but will give the ball away quite a bit it’s the player he is. The problem for us is against better teams we can’t play him and Bruno as Bruno does the same as I said above but is more productive hence why Pogba mostly gets left out

It wasn't poor by the standards that are expected of what is supposedly a top 5 midfielder in pro football?

 

[Nialler]

I'm not 100% sure he wants to leave, I just think he wants a final huge contract. I think the signs were United WAS going to give it to him, but then since his injury problems they've maybe stopped talks - now Raiola is kicking off and fishing for attention.

If we give him the offer he wants I think he'd be happy to stay, otherwise he will leave on a free and earn the wage he wants.

I admire your positive attitude but despite his obvious talent which we have only seen glimpses of it appears that Sir Alex was right to sell him at the time, he saw something in the lads character that didn't sit well with him although I will add that Pogba has matured since then and you could be right that given a better contract we might well get more consistent performances to justify a wage increase. I think though that Pogba should sack Raiola if he wants us to take him seriously going forward.

 

[Borys]

That's because Pogba plays deeper.

If Bruno played CM he'd be just as guilty, if anything he loses the ball more under zero pressure with unforced errors and just lacking concentration.

We know Pogba has a habit of trying to beat somebody 1v1 while using his body, and he ends up getting caught. That's just a downside he has - but he also has the ability to beat the press and set the team on a dangerous counter attack too (like the 3rd goal)

Well that's exactly the problem with Pogba - he doesn't adapt, he plays for fun which is fine by me against Sheffield. However, against any half decent team he is a liability in midfield.

Bruno loses the ball because of bad passing, but as he's usually one of the most advanced players this isn't very risky. Pogba loses the ball because he thinks he can out muscle 3 opponents around the middle circle, surely you see the difference?

He is an attacking midfielder playing in midfield. It doesn't suit his strengths other than good long range passing. No wonder our midfield look much better once he was dropped. We never had any issues beating weaker teams with any midfield that didn't include Paul.

Fred loses the ball due to bad touch under pressure like the PSG game. Imagine how many times would've Pogba lost the ball in that game. Surely Ole should've learned by now not to play him in midfield against Leeds.

He was the only attacking player who showed any competence in that match, most people seemed to agree.
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/paul-pogba-2020-21-performances.457012/page-108#post-26483870

That's the important bit. Attacking player. He played in position that suited him. But he played similar way to yesterday against SHU. That's his/our problem, he always plays the same style independent of the position on the field.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I admire your positive attitude but despite his obvious talent which we have only seen glimpses of it appears that Sir Alex was right to sell him at the time, he saw something in the lads character that didn't sit well with him although I will add that Pogba has matured since then and you could be right that given a better contract we might well get more consistent performances to justify a wage increase. I think though that Pogba should sack Raiola if he wants us to take him seriously going forward.

Fergie never wanted rid of him mate, that’s a huge misconception. He didn’t like raiola and thought the demands they were after was too much for somebody breaking into the team. They then chose to go to Juve as they felt unwanted - United came back in with a BIGGER offer than Juve, but the decision was already made.

make no mistake fergie rated him, but never gave into agents. He lost hazard over this too.

 

[Forevergiggs1]

A few decent games and Pogba is back to fooling the people. When will you ever learn?

 

[Nialler]

Fergie never wanted rid of him mate, that’s a huge misconception. He didn’t like raiola and thought the demands they were after was too much for somebody breaking into the team. They then chose to go to Juve as they felt unwanted - United came back in with a BIGGER offer than Juve, but the decision was already made.

make no mistake fergie rated him, but never gave into agents. He lost hazard over this too.

Didn't realise the full facts over his departure back then, thanks for enlightening me mate. If Pogba can break free from Raiola he should do so and commit to Utd. It would be a big statement of intent and would win the fans over. To play for Utd is an almighty honour.

 

[RooneyLegend]

He lost the ball, they got a corner and scored. I know it’s stretching it a bit but it started with him turning over possession.

Everyone in this team loses the ball. They just do it in different ways. Pogba gives it away trying to dribble out of pressure while Bruno specialises in passing our oponents same as Scotty McT, Rashford and Greenwood run into opposition players with frightening consistenty.

The truth is this team has no recognizable passing patterns. We have 4 players high up the pitch which make it difficult to move the ball about. Add us trying to pass out from the back it ends up looking funny.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

How do you not play Pogba against Leeds’s high defensive line?

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

How do you not play Pogba against Leeds’s high defensive line?

need a more solid midfield. McT and Fred give us that.

 

[Hellboy]

How do you not play Pogba against Leeds’s high defensive line?

When you have a coward of a manager

 

[lex talionis]

When you have a coward of a manager

It worked out pretty well, after all.

To be fair, Leeds were a perfect opponent for Pogba to shine against. It could just as easily have been Pogba ghosting in for the first two goals.

But we got it done without Pogba, which gives us something to think about going into the next transfer window.

 

[sammsky1]

When you have a coward of a manager

pretty embarrassing stuff

 

[Classical Mechanic]

It worked out pretty well, after all.

To be fair, Leeds were a perfect opponent for Pogba to shine against. It could just as easily have been Pogba ghosting in for the first two goals.

Also the perfect opponent to press him and take the ball off him in our defensive third.

 

[Kaos]

I'm glad he didn't get a kick in, even if the game did suit him. As far as I'm concerned he's already fecked off, no point giving him game time at the expense of others if we can avoid it.

 

[Hellboy]

pretty embarrassing stuff

Got to hold my hand up and admit I was wrong

Still think that a better manager than Ole is one of the last pieces of the jigsaw

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Think Ole will rest Bruno against Everton and Pogs will be the creative leader for that one.

 

[sammsky1]

Got to hold my hand up and admit I was wrong

Still think that a better manager than Ole is one of the last pieces of the jigsaw

You may be right re Ole, but surely you can admit he’s doing a great job right now, in the league anyway.

 

[Idxomer]

The team didn't improve defensively but McTominay did fantastic so we didn't miss Pogba's attacking contributions.

So all in all a good decision to give him a rest today.

 

[sammsky1]

I'm glad he didn't get a kick in, even if the game did suit him. As far as I'm concerned he's already fecked off, no point giving him game time at the expense of others if we can avoid it.

Yep, I felt that way too. I’m glad Ole has had the courage to use Pogna only when he see’s fit. Feels abit like when Mourinho dethroned Rooney.

We don’t need him to be our very best, in fact it’s become increasingly clear that he is an impediment to our team playing at it’s full potential.

I’m glad Ole has shown the balls to use Pogna only when he see’s fit

 

[sammsky1]

The team didn't improve defensively but McTominay did fantastic so we didn't miss Pogba's attacking contributions.
So all in all a good decision to drop him today.

Fixed for you

 

[NinjaFletch]

It worked out pretty well, after all.

To be fair, Leeds were a perfect opponent for Pogba to shine against. It could just as easily have been Pogba ghosting in for the first two goals.

But we got it done without Pogba, which gives us something to think about going into the next transfer window.

I couldn't disagree more. That was a game that highlights all of Pogba's failings in midfield and a perfect game for Fred and McTominay, and it really bodes well that Ole recognises that.

We had to outwork then in midfield and had to win individual battles. There's a absolutely nothing to suggest that Pogba is up for that fight and Leeds are open enough that you don't need his passing to unlock their defence.

 

[Idxomer]

Fixed for you

Do you think he'll start against Everton?

 

[edcunited1878]

This wasn't the game for him....United matched Leeds running and off ball movement and work rate in the middle of the pitch suited today's central midfield. Pogba doesn't work as hard off the ball as McTominay nor Fred. The coaches obviously had this in mind against Leeds and it was the perfect plan. Just because you're as talented like Pogba doesn't mean you always fit a game plan against a team.

If Paul Scholes was left out for Nicky Butt, then Paul Pogba can sure as hell be left out today.

He'll have a role to play against Leicester. He's been in very good form of late, so he must keep it up.

 

[sammsky1]

Do you think he'll start against Everton?

Yes he should so perhaps we can rest Bruno.

 

[sammsky1]

This wasn't the game for him....United matched Leeds running and off ball movement and work rate in the middle of the pitch suited today's central midfield. Pogba doesn't work as hard off the ball as McTominay nor Fred. The coaches obviously had this in mind against Leeds and it was the perfect plan. Just because you're as talented like Pogba doesn't mean you always fit a game plan against a team.

If Paul Scholes was left out for Nicky Butt, then Paul Pogba can sure as hell be left out today.

He'll have a role to play against Leicester. He's been in very good form of late, so he must keep it up.

Meh. Am not bothered if he plays or if he doesn’t. He’s a squad option not a match winner.