Are we becoming too dependent on Paul Pogba

[Hugh Jass]

Herrera is vital too. Watching him today, he retained the ball and tried to break up the opposition and win any 50/50s. Kind of controlling the game too.

We dropped points when herrera was missing. Just saying.

 

[Canagel]

These guys are basically being discredited for the sake of creating a thread like this. Heck some could even argue that Rashford has outperformed Pogba since Oke's arrival and would point to him winning the PL potm award as proof.

I don't know why people want to pretend that our team is a 1 man team. Lose Pogba and our performances take a huge hit, same could be said about the likes of Herrera, Rashford etc.

Heck people were crying over missing Herrera against Burnley and Pogba played that game. Truth is we need all our key players, it's not about Pogba alone and this narrative about us solely depending on him has to be buried as soon as possible. It's a complete disregard to other well performing and key players in our team right now.

I think some supporters are still haunted the times we didn't have Pogba under mourinho how toothless we became but this is different system and different style of football complety. I have faith that we wouldn't collapse without him since the aim is to always create a team who's sum is greater than it's parts.

 

[simplyared]

Pogba is all about creativity. Not only that he's so strong on the ball, he's got pace, he does the unexpected, you name it. Not only that other players around him such as Martial become more dangerous with Pogba on the pitch. Remember peak Rooney when he was out the team just wasn't the same. I think we could struggle without Pogba and I think its a major issue for the club. It's like running a business. When things are going well you invest for the future. It's all about continuation as SAF always said.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

He is a fantastic player but I don't think it's reached an unhealthy level of dependency with him.

 

[IrishRedDevil]

Barcelona rely on Messi
Real Madrid relied on Ronaldo for years
Chelsea overly rely on Hazard
Liverpool rely on Salah
Etc etc.

Even the best teams rely on their best players to make the difference. You just have to hope that luck is on your side to avoid long injuries and suspensions.

 

[Utd7]

Barcelona rely on Messi
Real Madrid relied on Ronaldo for years
Chelsea overly rely on Hazard
Liverpool rely on Salah
Etc etc.

Even the best teams rely on their best players to make the difference. You just have to hope that luck is on your side to avoid long injuries and suspensions.

This. The fact Pogba is playing this well for us to depend on his productivity is a beautiful thing.

 

[Santoryo]

I think some supporters are still haunted the times we didn't have Pogba under mourinho how toothless we became but this is different system and different style of football complety. I have faith that we wouldn't collapse without him since the aim is to always create a team who's sum is greater than it's parts.

I actually think without him we'd struggle a bit because he's so vital to us. But I also think the same could be said about other players.

We're a functioning team and dependant on our key payers which is pretty much how it works. I just think it's unfair to other key performers to claim that our current brilliance is solely dependant on Pogba when that's not quite true.

Burnley is just an example, we failed to win that game and Pogba was playing. It turned out we missed Herrera that day. We take out Herrera and Matic out of that midfield and Pogba isn't going to perform at his best because he isn't being covered properly.

Us relying on any of our key players doesn't mean we're solely dependant on them individually which is a narrative some are trying to push with Pogba. We need the entire package to perform. You take out Pogba and we suffer, similarly you take out another key cog in our team right now in Herrera and we'd struggle too, case in point the Burnley game.

 

[Shimo]

For what he brings to the squad in his position, we don't really have anyone that can do what he does if he is out of the team. Same could be said for the other 2 in midfield right now. Rest at least we have good options. However, with the form the likes of Rashford, Martial and rest of our team are in, think we'd do well enough without him going forward. Just might take an adjustment in tactics, perhaps actually play Mata or Lingard behind the striker and have Herrera/Matic sit more.

 

[Alexit]

Not sure it warrants a thread of its own but it is something I think about sometimes.

We're dead in the water if Paul is out and the opposition is semi-decent.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

He is our best player so it is natural that we are going to be hugely dependent on him. We do still have a £50 million midfielder who has yet to really get a run and whilst I don't watch a lot of Ukrainian football it seems like he has shown some attributes such as carrying the ball and creative passing.

 

[Oneunited26]

The irony is so many fans would rate the 2007/08 squad we also never had a player of ronaldo’s impact that was sitting on the bench, but we never cared for that because we trusted the guys physically can make the week in week out physical trip, that’s alwsys the gamble clubs have to make, what they expect 95% of the time they playing

If we look at all the top sides past and present, it’s almost impossible to have players on the bench that could replicate for say what they have starting, it’s why it’s important you don’t have injury prone players.

Look at the 98/99 side never had the backup beyond Keane scholes butt beckham and giggs, yes we had Cruyff and blomvquest, but the reality is you never going to have quality of that level on the bench, it’s just not possible. Barcelona 2008/09 just played xavi iniesta messi etoo and henry every week, and I don’t think they had a messi and iniesta on the bench that could match the impact for quality.

It’s a shame perrera, fred, Sanchez, mata and lukaku can’t quiet fill in for pogba, Herrera, lingard, martial and rashford, but that’s why some of these players did fail us under Jose, and why Herrera, pogba, lingard, martial and rashford are showing why Jose was so embarrassingly wrong to drop and try and sell some of them

 

[yfoFC]

We failed to beat Burnley with Pogba in the team and people were lamenting Herrera absence.

People are trying to overplay Pogba importance while downplaying our other key players and I don't even know why. We are dependant on our key players.

Pogba doesn't stand alone. Rashford even won the PL potm and arguably outperformed Pogba, I don't see anyone claiming we'll collapse without him in the team. We need our key players firing and rightly depending on them.

If Pogba is missing we'll obviously see a drop in performance. The same could be said about any of Rashford or Herrera. We aren't a 1 man team and some of you are trying to push this narrative for no reasons.

Good post, that Burnley game just shows Pogba isn't the sole player carrying this team.

 

[MuranoLover]

Barcelona doesn't seem to worry about this for the last 10 years

 

[Dve]

Barcelona rely on Messi
Real Madrid relied on Ronaldo for years
Chelsea overly rely on Hazard
Liverpool rely on Salah
Etc etc.

Even the best teams rely on their best players to make the difference. You just have to hope that luck is on your side to avoid long injuries and suspensions.

You forgot the most important one: PGS rely on Neymar

 

[Yorkeontop]

Considering where we are at as a club it's nothing to worry about and Martial and Rashford look like they're here to help. Pogba is special though, I can't see us having a better player than him whilsts he's around.

 

[Ronaldo's ego]

At the moment yes but considering he’s easily our best player and Ole’s inherited this squad with pathetic backup options we just have to accept it for now. We’ll need to reinforce in the summer, which I’m sure we will. This squad is 3/4 top quality additions away from being a title contending team again

 

[simplyared]

Liverpool are in a similar situation although it's up front they are a bit thin. Forget Salah it's Mane they would have a problem replacing. If Liverpool are to go all the way Mane just cannot get injured. They are, in other words, very vulnerable should that happen. Tbh it's City that are the only club that have full cover in all departments. If we are to challenge them for real we need to buy in the summer window. Fred, I'm afraid is no way a cover for Pogba.

 

[siw2007]

Pogba is our best outfield player and Ole has said that he is structured this team around him, we are of course going to be a worse team without him. We perhaps don't have as many players of his calibre in the side to cope without him, so perhaps that is something we are going to rectify in the future.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Hazard, Messi, Ronaldo, Salah, Aguero, Icardi, Griezmann, Kane.....
Every squad must have one match winner. If you don't have it, that is a problem.

 

[Nick7]

He's very clearly our best attacking player. Too dependant? Maybe, maybe not. But he makes a huge difference when he's on the pitch because he's so good.

 

[Rozay]

This is a fear, which is why I spoke recently about worried that we cannot rest him, ever, really.

And some people really don’t get it. Nobody is saying other players are not playing well. Of course they are. Lindelöf has been brilliant, for example. But he’s just a defender playing well. If he were out, we’d play another defender. Even as good as DDG is, we’d play Romero and be a similar level of team. Rashford likewise has been brilliant, Sanchez and Lukaku got it done against Arsenal.

Take Pogba out of the team though and the creativity drops massively. The ability to keep possession under pressure drops massively. As a result, the likes of Rashford and co who have also been playing well will also drop. Who do you think has been creating their goals for them?!

As has been said, Pogba can’t be replaced like for like. We would need a different set-up entirely, and hope we can get the job done in a more agricultural way perhaps. There’s no shame in it though. Pogba is that good. But he’s a Pogba, not a ‘midfielder’. You can’t just sub him out for another. It’s better to have a Pogba than to have another midfielder who is replaceable anyway.

 

[Cloud7]

Barca look half the team when Messi isn’t playing and he constantly has to rescue them. Madrid haven’t looked the same without Ronaldo. Chelsea without Hazard look toothless. Every team will be worse without their best player. What we need to do is supplement the rest of the team so that if he isn’t available we don’t look too much worse, but you’re always going to suffer a bit without your best player.

 

[simplyared]

I believe we are vulnerable if we should be without Pogba. With that in mind I reckon the main target in the summer window should be a creative midfielder. Maybe someone who doesn't just walk into the starting line-up and would accept filling that role. Also a player who has creativity and can change games. Mesut Özil comes to mind.

 

[MUM]

No.

 

[Alemar]

To the thread author: Barcelona is also too dependent on Lionel, and so what? It's a good problem to have, seriously (i.e., having an attacking player in your squad who is performing as a real Ballon D'Or contender).

 

[Oneunited26]

This is a fear, which is why I spoke recently about worried that we cannot rest him, ever, really.

And some people really don’t get it. Nobody is saying other players are not playing well. Of course they are. Lindelöf has been brilliant, for example. But he’s just a defender playing well. If he were out, we’d play another defender. Even as good as DDG is, we’d play Romero and be a similar level of team. Rashford likewise has been brilliant, Sanchez and Lukaku got it done against Arsenal.

Take Pogba out of the team though and the creativity drops massively. The ability to keep possession under pressure drops massively. As a result, the likes of Rashford and co who have also been playing well will also drop. Who do you think has been creating their goals for them?!

As has been said, Pogba can’t be replaced like for like. We would need a different set-up entirely, and hope we can get the job done in a more agricultural way perhaps. There’s no shame in it though. Pogba is that good. But he’s a Pogba, not a ‘midfielder’. You can’t just sub him out for another. It’s better to have a Pogba than to have another midfielder who is replaceable anyway.

When we were aiming to win the double in 2008, think we all had that fear if Ronaldo was dropped points would be dropped, it’s jusy the way it is. Now if we sign a top class attacking forward, and a couple of more players we wouldn’t have that fear maybe

 

[simplyared]

To the thread author: Barcelona is also too dependent on Lionel, and so what? It's a good problem to have, seriously (i.e., having an attacking player in your squad who is performing as a real Ballon D'Or contender).

As strange as it may seem I honestly think we would miss Pogba more than Barcelona would miss Messi. Main reason Pogba has so many qualities to his game. Examples: Strength, passing ability, pace, skill, box to box, etc.

 

[Mr PG]

What is harder to imagine is that this guy got benched by Jose. What a shambles the last months of this tenure was.

Imagine the mental torture for him to watch as JM made 3 subs vs Liverpool. Must have made him question himself too if he was as any good. Would have destroyed his confidence only for jm to make the point he was right all along

 

[Reiver]

Probably. But few teams wouldn't when he's in this kind of form.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

A team always has their main player that they are depending a lot. It’s like Chelsea relies so much on Hazard in their creativity, and we relies so much on Pogba in our creativity. If he gets a long term injury then we will need to sign a new player who can replace his role in January. If he gets just a few weeks injury then we don’t need to sign a replacement, we are just relying on other players to create our chances like from our full backs or wingers and etc.

I think what we should be focusing to improve is not about finding Pogba’s back up but improve other roles so we can have a 2nd plan if somehow we can’t use the 1st plan. For example, full backs need to improve their crossing and final third passing or winger need to know how to deliver good ball.

 

[Jeffthered]

Absolutely. It is a concern. At some stage his goals and influence shall subside, it's natural.

Take him out the team and we are a completely, completely different outfit. All the players look for him to dictate our play.

Ole/Phelan etc must be aware of this.

 

[Mr Smith]

Must admit I'm a bit worried about this. We have other great players who could step up in his absence, but I do think we could use more creativity from deep. I think we need to buy a player to deputise for/eventually replace Matic, who has the kind of passing range to offer more creativity (basically I want another Michael Carrick).

 

[coolredwine]

7 weeks ago he couldn't be relied upon at all according to most.

swings and roundabouts in the life of a football fan

 

[MAME DIOUF 32]

Right now I think we're too dependent on the 3 in midfield. I'm not sure we have a decent backup for any of them.

 

[Eriku]

Pereira or Fred might do well in his role. More freedom, both are good passers... the fact that Pogba is given such freedom means they won’t be under as much pressure to control the midfield and any mistakes they make won’t be so crucial.

Anyway, I don’t think it’s that we rely on him so much, it’s more that he’s just coming up with the goods. I trust Martial just as much with the penalties, and I reckon others would step up in terms of our offensive play.

 

[matherto]

He's our record signing.

I'd be more worried if he wasn't the one dictating how we play and making the difference.

 

[minoo-utd]

He is irreplaceable at Ole's system. Name someone can do his job?

 

[ReddBalls]

I'd be more worried if we were not dependent on him.

 

[sglowrider]

No one knows, he is never injured.

He had soft tissue injuries his first season back.

 

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

Pogba seems to thrive on the responsibilty and enjoys being a leader. Next season he has to be Captain.

We are, however, for from being a one man team