Klopp about Paul Pogbas physical advantage over the rest

[NoPace]

End of the day, his years with us vs his years with France will go down as the biggest gap between an international career and a club one for a player, and you have to add the Ferguson year too because the next year he was first choice for Juve with Pirlo, Vidal, Marchisio and Asamoah and over Giacherrrini, who wasn't sexy but did excel for a successful Italy team and was at his short peak as a damn good Park sort of player.

There might be another, but guys like Thomas Brolin weren't top 10 players in international football for 8 years (6 with United), like Pogba will go down for the 2010s (too lazy to make the list, but mostly Spanish guys and some Germans and French).

 

[Longball]

I personally dont take internationals too seriously when gauging players - it is easier to look good in a cup competition. Like Pirlo to a certain extent, the one people rave about in Euro 2012 was past his peak in comparison to his Milan years.

 

[Vernon Philander]

You mean social media darling Marcus Rashford...? or beans means Heinz Lingard..?.or moody Martial who cared more about his shirt number than putting in a shift...shall I keep going?

don’t be daft...That’s their character...and you saw what happened when Mourinho called Pogba out...or was “mismanaging” rashford. Managers were dominated by the dressing room and players were valued higher due to the marketing potential.

They seem to be changing that with ETH. Good. Get rid of the egos. Good honest pros like Mata, Matic, Herrera, Fred, McT, Elanga, de Gea, Lindelof...all manage just fine without excuses. All out of the limelight. That other bunch are a disgrace. Look forward to them going before they drag Sancho down with them.

This is spot on.

Mourinho tried his best to call out these characters and they all disgracefully turned on him. Be gone with them.

 

[giorno]

He was always a high level ceiling raiser who was thrust into a floor raising role, and failed. Because he never was a floor raiser in the first place

In hindsight, the decision to pick united instead of holding out for madrid that summer was the worst mistake he made. Real Madrid and Pogba at that point in time were perfect for each other, and with Zidane only a few months away. Manchester United asked him to be Bruno Fernandes from the beginning, and he was never that player. Then they failed to build a great team on top of that

 

[Pogue Mahone]

End of the day, his years with us vs his years with France will go down as the biggest gap between an international career and a club one for a player, and you have to add the Ferguson year too because the next year he was first choice for Juve with Pirlo, Vidal, Marchisio and Asamoah and over Giacherrrini, who wasn't sexy but did excel for a successful Italy team and was at his short peak as a damn good Park sort of player.

There might be another, but guys like Thomas Brolin weren't top 10 players in international football for 8 years (6 with United), like Pogba will go down for the 2010s (too lazy to make the list, but mostly Spanish guys and some Germans and French).

International careers mean feck all. They only need to turn up for a few games each year. And it’s not as though Pogba was a shining light for France. His performances were regularly criticised for them too. He was never one of those players who always excelled on the international stage.

 

[NoLogo]

Pogba might have the physical stature, but he still gets bullied off the ball. I think the main reason for that is his slowness, he can get away with it in a slower league like Serie A, but the PL at this current time is probably the fastest league in the world.

There is another point for me why his style worked better in Serie A than it does in the PL, more protection from physical contact, in the PL refs don't whistle a foul 8 out of 10 times if you get pushed of the ball, you know those situations where Pogba falls over, flaps his arms about and complains to the ref, as opposed to the Serie A and other continental leagues where these situations get way more frequently called as a foul.

 

[jackal&hyde]

Couldn't agree more. Mourinho nearly broke Shaw as well.

Yes, but for the full picture, no matter how toxic Mourinho was, Pogba has allowed his now late agent to make super toxic comments about the club and manager, so as much as I don't think he deserves the hate that he gets, it's also understandable why so many fans want to see the back of him. He wanted to leave for a while now and allowed the "super agent" to go full blast against the club; that is a major issue that if we want to be successful we can not allow such situations.

It's unfair for people to agree that the club was run very bad and we had poor managers and, at the same time blame Pogba for not having been great and consistent, none of our players have been; but Paul himself has been poor in the way he behaved directly through pre season interviews asking to leave or indirectly through his agent.

At the end of the day the story of Pogba at United is one of a very poorly run club with bad appointments and a lack of vision, but also of a player that did not have either the respect or the character to go about it in a professional or at least decent way, but chose to burn bridges.

What is really unfortunate, is that with ETH it's the first time in the last 5 years when we have a genuinely good coach that plays football in the right way and it's the only time in Paul's time at United when he might have been used in a functional attacking system. The irony is there for sure. If I am Pogba, I decide to stay, but it's probably to late now.

 

[NoPace]

International careers mean feck all. They only need to turn up for a few games each year. And it’s not as though Pogba was a shining light for France. His performances were regularly criticised for them too. He was never one of those players who always excelled on the international stage.

Nonsense. It's not the quality of the Champions league but it matters to people and players as much.

Pogba has been great for France. Second best #8 type midfielder after Modric of the last 10 years I think? Since Xavi and Schweinsteiger basically. He'd make an international XI for the decade pretty comfortably I think along with Modric and a 3rd midfielder would be harder to say.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Nonsense. It's not the quality of the Champions league but it matters to people and players as much.

Pogba has been great for France. Second best #8 type midfielder after Modric of the last 10 years I think? Since Xavi and Schweinsteiger basically. He'd make an international XI for the decade pretty comfortably I think along with Modric and a 3rd midfielder would be harder to say.

He is playing in a team surrounded by talent. And he is playing teams like san marino. And its only about five games a season for france.

 

[NoPace]

He is playing in a team surrounded by talent. And he is playing teams like san marino. And its only about five games a season for france.

All true but he won the U-20 Golden ball, best young player at the 2014 World Cup, started as they made the finals in 2016, scored the game-winning goal in the World Cup final against Croatia in 2018 and was a top 10 player in the tournament. Even scored a cracker in 2020 to make it 3-1 before the shocking french collapse to get bounced in the round of 16 and hit some incredible passes to create France's best chances, though he did lose possession and help cost France one of the late goals.

It would be insane to keep him at whatever wages he'll command, unless Ten Hag is sure he can fix him and he hasn't broken down physically (though even then I'd be wary), but it does mean something that he's a top 10 player in International football and was probably a top 50 player in club football for Juve and has been maybe a top 200 player in club football for his time here.

 

[vlad93]

Liverpool have elite physical trainers whereas we had our scouts just leave united. Our club is in rebuild mode. We might be behind on data analytics or health food chefs. Don't the player chefs cook the stadium food aswell? Luke Shaw is eating spaghetti all day babi

 

[Red Dreams]

There is no doubting Pogba's ability.
Even when he is not bothered he makes killer passes that some of our players could not read.
What I cannot accept is his numerous statements disrespecting the club.

It was a mistake to bring him back.

 

[sparx99]

The second he started playing? Maybe! But now? He is regressing. Like every other player at Man Utd.

Paul Pogbas best season at Man Utd was his first. I really dont put to much weight on whoscored, but only Hazard and Sanchez had higher ratings in the PL than him that season. And WhoScoreds system favours attacker. Pogba was a DM.

Coincidentally he played alongside Herrera that season who was always high energy.

Pogba actually got worse once he was played alongside Matic. Now that’s not necessarily anyones fault but you can’t have one slow DM next to one with a work rate issue. Pogba thrived alongside Kante for example and Marchisio at Juve (with Pirlo) as well.