Both entirely different players and should not even be compared in terms of their skills.Difference is that Pogba was able to do things Pereira can't do or hasn't shown.
Pereira is able to score long range goals like Pogba, but Pogba's footwork and passing was much better than Pereira's.
Andreas Pereira
- Thread starter mista john
- Start date
Absolutely. Pogba was always the centre-midfilder with regards to talent. Perreira is of the #10 mould or even a winger.
It's not hindsight at all. A lot of the players outperformed Pereira last season. Rothwell, Pearson, Wilson, Janko, Charni, etc... Obviously Pereira has more technical ability and a higher potential than the names listed, but playing behind the striker he wasn't creative enough, and didn't cause the defenses all that much trouble. Whenever he had the ball in the final third, he would usually only look to create an opening for himself. The attack as a whole was awful for the reserve team so it might be harsh on him, but it would have been worse if not for the finishing of Wilson and the drive of Rothwell.
This is all based on last season which I watched every one of his matches. 99corrigan also makes numerous videos of his performances even when other players outperformed him. No one is writing him off here. He's still really young and can obviously develop into a fantastic player. But you can't tell me Pogba at the same age wasn't putting in better performances or showing more than him. I can't even think of one performance at the u18 or u21 level (this past season) where Pereira put in a performance as good as Pogba did in the 2nd leg of the FA Youth Cup final.
And again, I was one of the people who also thought Januzaj was ready for the first team. I just wasn't on the forum at the time.
Although I think Pereira will not end up playing behind the striker and instead deeper, the comparison wasn't about who was the better midfielder (midfield 2). The comparison was in terms of consistency. I think Pogba's best bits of play were a level above Pereira's.
If you want to compare him to another attacking midfielder, then you can compare him to Januzaj although that would be unfair on him.
Its worth noting that in his second year under 18 Pogba played almost all of his football in the under 18s and only had a few games with the reserves whereas Pereira played almost all of his football with the under 21s. Anyway my original point was not actually to compare them as players I was just saying that the things which are being said about Pereira now in terms of him clearly having the talent but being a highlights player more than a player who stands out for the entire 90 minutes are the same things which were being said about Pogba at the same age.
Definitely agree with this. Lot of his performances has been Pogbaesque at that level where he has faded in and out.
Anyway, next season hope he really kicks on and if it clicks for him then he won't take much time to push into the first team. Januzaj's rate of progression in 5/6 months when he got it together was even faster than Pogba.
Glad to hear that he's having a great pre season. I expect, but also hope he has much better season for the reserves this year.
Exactly. This is what I was trying to say. It's exactly the same thing. And as you say, Pereira has always been playing an age group above where Pogba was at the same age.
Nobody is saying that. People are comparing Pereira to the Pogba of three years ago and there are plenty of similarities. Like Pereira now Pogba showed glimpses of his talent but wasn't consistent enough and tended to drift out of games.
We'll be lucky if Pereira ends up as good as Pogba. I hope he does (obviously) lol
The point is not that he will, but that he has just as much potential to become that good as Pogba did at the same age.
In my opinion Pereira has nowhere near as much potential as Pogba, who had both physical and technical gifts.
He had strengths and weaknesses, same as Pereira. Pogba was strong, Pereira is fast. Pogba's passing range was sublime, Pereira's dribbling at pace is too. It's hindsight to imagine that there was any more guarantee back then of Pogba becoming as good as he has done than there is of Pereira doing similarly.
In fairness to Andreas, he is playing an age group above that and he looked every bit as dominant/stood out as much as Pogba in a few games for the u-18's the season before last.
Not for me. I rated Pogba from the moment I saw him, not convinced by Pereira. I can see what kind of player he can become using his footwork and shot but I dont see half of the skillset Pogba was showing and none of the physical ones whatsoever.
If he does really really well transitioning to first team football I can see Pereira being in Coutinho's league rather than Pogba's. A good technical player that can make something happen, not someone people argue is the best or most well rounded midfielder in the world.
Well, that's your opinion. I disagree, but I can't prove it to you because we're talking about potential. I do think it's unfair to keep mentioning Pogba's greater physical strength at that age but ignoring the fact that he was (and still is) fairly slow over the ground, whereas Pereira is fast. I think that balances out, especially given that each of those qualities was/is suited to the particular position and style of the two players.
I'm with @Brightonian on this, I never thought Pogba was gonna be the player he has become today after watching him play in our u-18's. Pereira is technically very good and has attributes that Pogba never had and vice versa. I'm expecting to see a more consistent more influential pereira this season.
That's not exactly what I was saying. I did think Pogba had a great chance of becoming an exceptional player. I think Pereira has a similar chance.
Don't get me wrong, I never said you said that... Maybe I could've worded it better. That was a just a personal opinion of mine.
Pereira stood out for me in the u-18, so much so, I was telling everybody that him and Wilson will be internationals in a few years.
When Pereira went up to u-21, he was physically intimidated, for want of a better word. I was surprised at how much younger he looked, but this will hopefully benefit him, in the same way as Scholes. If he can play his way through against physically more mature opponents, then he will be some player.
Bigger youth players sometime lose "it" when they can no longer rely on their dominant strength, against seasoned opponents. (obviously not the case with Pogba).
Give him a chance to mature.He now has some real quality coaches to help form him.
Ben Pearson on the other hand, regardless of size, looks like he'd be last man standing, in a free-for-all cage fight!
When Pereira went up to u-21, he was physically intimidated, for want of a better word. I was surprised at how much younger he looked, but this will hopefully benefit him, in the same way as Scholes. If he can play his way through against physically more mature opponents, then he will be some player.
Bigger youth players sometime lose "it" when they can no longer rely on their dominant strength, against seasoned opponents. (obviously not the case with Pogba).
Give him a chance to mature.He now has some real quality coaches to help form him.
Ben Pearson on the other hand, regardless of size, looks like he'd be last man standing, in a free-for-all cage fight!
I disagree and that's fine. I think Pogba 9/10 was more reliable to turn a game, he could manipulate the ball better but I hope Pereira proves me wrong. I got to say Pogba was a non brainer in terms of talent anyway.
Pogba floated through so many games contributing almost nothing in his last season and a half with us. His problem was exactly the same one most people have with Pereira, that he was capable of incredible moments but didn't impose himself on games enough. And Pogba was having that problem in the U18s, whereas Pereira at the same age is having it in the U21s.
Pereira isn't in the same bracket as Pogba in my opinion. At u18 level, Pogba looked a world class talent. I just don't see anything like that with Pereira.
Sometimes you can see a player play and tell that he could be a star. Even though Pogba didn't play well for the reserves, the first game I saw him I could tell he is going to be a star. Obviously hard work, mentality and all things come after that.
Obviously it's a simple disagreement, so i can't convince you otherwise, but I really can't see how anyone can have watched much of Pereira and not see anything 'world class talent' about him. Like Pogba at that age, he contributes less regularly than he should. But when he does contribute, it's like watching an adult playing with children. Dribbles past opponent after opponent for fun. Can put the ball in the net from anywhere. Tackles like a defensive midfielder.
And he's doing all this in the U21s, after only one full season of U18s, when Pogba was still taking it easy in his third year with the U18s.
If Pereira makes it, you'll have forgotten all these doubts the same way those who scoffed at Pogba at the time have now forgotten theirs and will tell you he was always a dead cert to become world class. But by then there'll be a whole new set of people explaining that Harrop has 'never been at the same level as Pogba, Januzaj or Pereira', and doesn't have it in him. It's the same every single time.
If Pereira isnt a world class talent, than we have no world class talents at Man United.
I agree with you completely on him. Theres not much point in trying to show people the difference between potential and fulfillment of that potential because people will just use revisionism with Pogba the same way they do with Januzaj and claim he controlled and was the best player on the pitch in every game for the reserves but are now doubting what Wilson did last season. When watching young players in particular there are so many variables that people choose to ignore such as growing at different rates, growth spurts which can affect peoples strength and simple things like coaches asking players to adapt to a new role or new instructions from coaches. The most important thing with young players is seeing that spark of talent and in my eyes Pereira can do certain things which most players cant and is capable of doing some truly special things. Its sometimes the simpler things which he has trouble with because he has so much ability and wants to show it all the time but the talent is most definitely there and hopefully as he matures the consistency and decision making will come with the experience.
Remember Pereira has always been considered one of the best talents in his Belgium age group and was one of PSV's best talents with Bakkali, and when he played as the senior guy with his age group in the Milk Cup he was Player of the Tournament.
what year was this?
To be fair who would have thought that Pogba could turn to such a world beater he is now. There are plenty of talent young players every year but very few of them could turn out big.
He was outstanding in that tournament. People forget that he was still eligible for the u18's last season yet he was promoted to the u21's. The same was done with Januzaj but generally the club tends to keep players in their age group unless they are exceptionally talented which IMO Pereira is.
2013.
Yeah I agree with you here as others have said when playing U18 and what I particularly remember is the Milk Cup where he was the oldest player on the team and captain he was simply amazing. Whether it is intimidation from being with the older lads or what I don't know but you could see the sense of leadership and taking the main man role in the Milk Cup whereas for the U21s he usually sat back and just played his part. Saying that though even from about the end of January on I felt he started to put in consistent displays and really imposing himself more.
I still remember that video of him when he was 16. Incredible.
Yeah he's got "the picture" in his head. When he allies that to a mature body, we will be seeing plenty of
s (over his play, not body)(On here probably both. Such is the level of perv and debauchery 
)I always find the discussion of players being 'potentially world class' a bit funny.
Loads and loads of young players look ridiculously good for their age, but as they grow older the experimental part of their game is put on a leash, they the gap closes and they look quite ordinary (in the group of players capable of class due to natural ability, but not at the top table):
Quaresma, Anelka, Nani, Joquain, Robinho, Wilshere... and more that I can't think of right now. And they all end up as very good but not the world class players they threatened to become.
Heck, even Fabregas and Rooney are up for debate.
Some expect Pogba to dominate midfield for years to come. The likelihood is that he'll stagnate quite a bit, the gap will close, and come the next World Cup he'll just be one of a number of midfielders at a similar level.
Same with 'future Ballon d'Or winner' Isco. The gap will probably close, and he'll be good but not as good as he was in comparison to his age-mates a year or two ago.
Loads and loads of young players look ridiculously good for their age, but as they grow older the experimental part of their game is put on a leash, they the gap closes and they look quite ordinary (in the group of players capable of class due to natural ability, but not at the top table):
Quaresma, Anelka, Nani, Joquain, Robinho, Wilshere... and more that I can't think of right now. And they all end up as very good but not the world class players they threatened to become.
Heck, even Fabregas and Rooney are up for debate.
Some expect Pogba to dominate midfield for years to come. The likelihood is that he'll stagnate quite a bit, the gap will close, and come the next World Cup he'll just be one of a number of midfielders at a similar level.
Same with 'future Ballon d'Or winner' Isco. The gap will probably close, and he'll be good but not as good as he was in comparison to his age-mates a year or two ago.
Not sure about that - I don't think Pogba had that problem in the U18s really, and in the U21s I felt his ineffectiveness (at times) was largely a case of frustration at being held back. Pereira's moved up to the U21s at an earlier age than Pogba did but a lot of that is down to Pogba being part of a special youth team that was going for a Youth Cup win.
For me, Pogba was a better player and prospect at 18 than Pereira is (and there's an awful lot of revisionism about Pogba), but Pereira's definitely got something. He just looks a fair bit further away from putting it all together than PP did at the same age, but that's fine, comparisons are largely pointless anyway (he says having just made a post essentially entirely about a comparison...).
There's a lot of crap on here overrating Pogba in hindsight, but this seems fair. For me their potential was roughly the same but I'd definitely agree that Pereira looks further from putting it all together than Pogba did at this age. Pereira's been in a similar sort of place developmentally for two years now - he got there faster than Pogba, but he's stopped progressing slightly. That's why it's so important for him to have a really consistent, can't-be-ignored sort of season this year.
Pogba's physical advantages in underage football massively enhanced his technical ones. That's the biggest difference between the two of them for me.
Of course, that's not to say that won't always be a difference. Pogba will always be able to bully players, physically and Perreira will probably never have that sort of pace and power in his locker. Technically, there's probably not a lot between them when they played for our U18s/U21s but Pogba was clearly the better player IMO and there's a good chance he always will be.
Of course, that's not to say that won't always be a difference. Pogba will always be able to bully players, physically and Perreira will probably never have that sort of pace and power in his locker. Technically, there's probably not a lot between them when they played for our U18s/U21s but Pogba was clearly the better player IMO and there's a good chance he always will be.
Does any of this matter?
This discussion specifically, or everything that ever happens on the forum? Because the answer's going to be the same either way.