When you compare his performance from yesterday to the quality in midfield on Tuesday and Wednesday it brings home some home truths. He is still young with a record price tag who had poor preparation for this season due to an international tournament and prolonged transfer negotiations. I expect him to take this shit seriously next season and make the necessary sacrifices to his public persona and start putting in some performances worthy of this club.
6
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 51
- Goals
- 9
- Assists
- 6
- Yellow cards
- 10
- Status
Personally, I honestly couldn't give a feck how many goals or assists he gets, and I really do mean that.
For me, it's about his all 'round play, his contribution, his decision making - that's what I expect to be above average, not his goal/assist ratio.
For me, it's about his all 'round play, his contribution, his decision making - that's what I expect to be above average, not his goal/assist ratio.
I'm still fairly unsure why there's posters yet again saying he's had a great game, when all I've seen is another game gone by without him winning us it, as big players are supposed to do. Instead he fluffed a chance you'd get on the back of a 20m player for fluffing and it's not the first time. It's not good enough.
The cancer of shit football has well and truly taken over this club. I see no risks taken on the field, everything is too slow and we are very easy to get a point off. We can certainly buy our way out of it but players like Lingard, Fellaini, Smalling and Carrick should not be near the first 11 to get to where we need to be. The football of Moyes and Van Gaal seems to be ingrained in half our squad, hopefully Mourinho can sort it out.
Cope claim Pogba did talk to Perez and Zidane this summer and that he made sure not to bring Raiola with him (that last part actually makes sense because we know Perez would never do business with him). They say Pogba was offered 6 mil €/season at that meeting. I guess it never got to the point of asking price.
Which central midfielder is winning games on his own, for any team?
No CM is going to win the games, it's the attackers job to score and we had plenty of chances to score and put the game to bed.
Probably Pogba is the only CM rated on his goals and assists.
Yeah makes sense to make less money than he was at Juventus. Totally believable story.
It is less if you think 4,5 is more then 6.
Remember reading it as 6.5 Million. Still player like Pogba just adding 1.5 million to his current wage, totally believable.
The idea of a midfielder scoring as an atracking player is a 4-4-2 mentality.
Midfielders need to defend, control the tempo of the game and create chances.
You never see Real Madrid or Barca fans trashing Iniesta, Rakitic, Modric or Kroos if they dont score for MONTHS.
If you compare only LEAGUE GOALS , you can see the role of a modern midfielder(of course there are differences in minutes played):
Pogba: 04 goals
Tony Kroos: 01 goal
Rakitic: 06 goals
Iniesta: 00 goal
Vidal: 03 goals
Thiago: 04 goals
Modric: 01 goals
The problem is not Pogba.
The team need a FRONT THREE able to win games.
Midfielders need to defend, control the tempo of the game and create chances.
You never see Real Madrid or Barca fans trashing Iniesta, Rakitic, Modric or Kroos if they dont score for MONTHS.
If you compare only LEAGUE GOALS , you can see the role of a modern midfielder(of course there are differences in minutes played):
Pogba: 04 goals
Tony Kroos: 01 goal
Rakitic: 06 goals
Iniesta: 00 goal
Vidal: 03 goals
Thiago: 04 goals
Modric: 01 goals
The problem is not Pogba.
The team need a FRONT THREE able to win games.
Everyone seems to forget what a long 18-24 months he's had with no rest.
Wait until next season and we will see the best from him.
Wait until next season and we will see the best from him.
This
Whos better at their clubs? Pogba would walk into the starting 11 of all those teams. You're deluding yourself.
I don't think he's done badly at all. He's one of our best players by far. Though I'd still like to see much more from him and I disagree with those (himself included) who don't expect goals from him. Given his ability, he should be scoring goals. He could be dominating games. Of course, he'll do better with better players around him.
Not sure really. I think we've made a lot of poor signings since Woodward has been on the scene. Under Gill/Fergie, you'd hear about them scouting a player for ages, looking up the player's backround, upbringing, meeting wiith them and their family, etc. Last few years we just seem to sign players then find out after if they're actually suited to us.
Yeah I don't think you're wrong. That is exactly his problem. He's not an idiot but he shows such little game intelligence.
On his day though I do think he's one of the best midfielders in the league...but the bar isn't really set that high. The days of Scholes, Keane, Vieirra, Gerrard, Essien, Alonso etc. are gone. Back then someone playing the way Pogba does would have to go up a level just to have a chance of even competing. Now though, the best midfielder in the league is probably Kante...and then aside form that there's, well, no one.
No way would I take Kante over Pogba. Yes, Kante has had a great season - a great two seasons perhaps - but I'd still take Pogba all day long. Kante is an industrious little ankle snapper but he's not on the same planet as Pogba as a footballer. Pogba could and should have 12-15 goals this season bar a lick of paint on the woodwork. Kante won't get that many in the rest of his career.
imo, the team needs to decide what role he should play. If he's a CM, then his job is very different from an AM. Also, if he plays as the advanced player in a midfield 3 his job would be different from playing in a midfield 2.
Ultimately I don't know what he is supposed to provide, so it's hard to judge what his output should be.
Ultimately I don't know what he is supposed to provide, so it's hard to judge what his output should be.
He is neither a CM nor an attacker. Bit of a hybrid of sorts. Still think he should be played on the left of a midfield three.
He is a CM and plays like a CM.
He's had an ok season up to now and if it wasn't for the hype and money paid, we'd be satisfied with his contribution and be calling him a good player.
Lots saying he lacks composure and it's often a fine line between being a good player and a great player, and this is often the difference. He's made some good contributions and had we been better in front of goal, most would be much more positive about him which suggests composure is an issue throughout the squad.
Pogba has all the raw attributes to be a great midfielder, this needs focussing and Pogba needs to mature more, but the rest of the squad/team also needs to contribute more particularly in the final 3rd.
I'm positive it will happen for him/us and we'll look back on the fee paid and consider it money well spent.
Lots saying he lacks composure and it's often a fine line between being a good player and a great player, and this is often the difference. He's made some good contributions and had we been better in front of goal, most would be much more positive about him which suggests composure is an issue throughout the squad.
Pogba has all the raw attributes to be a great midfielder, this needs focussing and Pogba needs to mature more, but the rest of the squad/team also needs to contribute more particularly in the final 3rd.
I'm positive it will happen for him/us and we'll look back on the fee paid and consider it money well spent.
He plays as one of the 2 CMs most games, safe to say he's a CM and that's how he should be judged. The forum's a bit daft unfortunately comparing him with both Kante and Alli in different threads whereas it'd take a proper mentalist to compare Kante and Alli directly.
I can't speak for him, but I don't think that Pogba is any better than Vidal and Thiago. He's not necessarily a downgrade, but he isn't better either. The same can be said about Kroos and Modric.
I think that Pogba, like Gerrard and Lampard before him, will work best as an attacking midfielder in a midfield trio. He's not a box-to-box midfield commander like Vieira/Keane. His attacking capabilities obviously far surpass his defensive ones, and this should be used to his strengths.
The problem with that is, if Pobga gets a one v one do you honestly feel confident he'll score? At the moment, the most consistent element of his game is his long range passing. I agree with you, on paper, Pogba looks the closest thing to Yaya 2.0 in world football and you'd expect him to score a similar amount of goals. His shooting has been horrible this season though. When he doesn't hit the woodwork, he hits it straight at the goalie. He does not, at this moment, look like the goal getting midfield player I think many assumed we'd be getting. Particularly those of us who remember some of his ridiculous strikes for the reserves.
People would still be moaning had we signed Verratti or Modric for £89m. Was watching Verratti last night; He isn't better than Pogba.
Those players aren't worth the money that's why, neither is Pogba.
He is better than all of those players. The only ones who disagree at spoilt United fans who are never happy with what they've got.
If Modric, Kroos, Vidal or Thiago were here, they wouldn't be doing any better than Pogba is. Physically, he is much better than any of them.
He is no where near Modric ffs
If Modric came here, everyone would be saying he's too old and not physically up for it, etc.
The usual rubbish.
We could sign Messi and the fans/media would be questioning if he could really do it on a cold night in Stoke.
It doesn't matter hes no where near Modric
You're wrong. He is better than him in quite a few departments.
Real would drop Modric/Kroos for Pogba and if you don't believe me, look at Di Maria and Ozil who were two of Real's best players but were sold for a shiny new toy in James Rodriguez.
Modric wouldn't be better than Pogba here. Pogba has created a load of chances, our problems lie up front NOT in midfield or defence.
Why would they say that ? Modric has already proven himself in the PL
He was untill he moved to us for £89m.
As for your first bolded sentence, there is no evidence to support your claim that Pogba is/will be better than Gerrrard or Lampard. If he did for 5 consecutive seasons, I'd take that right now., even though that still falls short of his fee and hype.
Re the 2nd bolded sentence, having been a United fan for many decades, Ive been more than happy, like more than more happy with many players we've had down the years. Likewise I started supporting United when we won nothing. So I do not meet either of your surreptitious criteria.
Number of things that require urgent improvement:
1. I dont know what he does. So far, he has failed to be an effective no 6, no 8 or no 10.
2. I've read claims that he cant fulfil his potential unless he is surrounded by world class experience. I'd argue he looked good at Juve because of the work of his colleagues, not because he was that good. Juve carried him, as they are proving this season, they are perfectly fine without him.
3. He needs to score 12-15 goals a season. His failure to contribute is a critical reason why we have failed in top 4 stability, let alone mount a decent title challenge.
4. He slows our game down. He needs too many touches to gain control of the ball, be forward facing and spot an offence pass. He sometimes looks good because of his Hollywood passes, but in reality, only 1 in 4 of these are successful.
5. Which means he gives the ball away far too often.
6. Most importantly, he needs to dominate games, certainly against minnows and also regularly against top teams. He is supposed to be a match winner, if not through goals, then certainly through influence and assists. He is already 24: benchmark that vs Ronaldo, already a Balon D'or, Rooney, Giggs, Beckham, or even Keane, Gerrard, Lampard, Vierra etc at that age. They had found their voice and consistently bossed it.
I fear he may never crack all the above, and if he does, it will take years ... but then we shouldn't spend that kind of money on a player who is 5 years off his peak.
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When it comes to agility and balance Pogba is not in the same universe as Modric. Those attributes are far more important for a CM/AM then size and pure strength.
Stop it, just stop it. Coming here using your fancy logic to prove a point. We want none of your voodoo here. Plain old fashioned hysteria, that's what we're all about.
We all have opinions but tbh modric has been one of the very best midfielders in world football for years now. Pobga will be doing well to get as good as him.
Perspective people. This is a player who is taking a season to adapt to a new league, new manager , new system and new teammates, and we should give him time to do so.
Our midfield has been dire since the SAF days. Pogba has undoubtedly improved our midfield. He is a technically gifted player who would be snapped up immediately by a top club (probably Real or Barca) if we were daft enough to let him leave.
Has his season been disappointing? Possibly, by the lofty standards he set at Juve. Has he been our best midfield performer this season? No, imo that has been Ander. But i think Pogba's technical ceiling is the highest of our midfield and that he will develop next season into what Mourinho envisages for United, because he will have become accustomed to the league, the new manager, and the new system.
He has been frustrating at times, but he is a fantastic player who makes our midfield and team better. Next year, this will begin to show more clearly.
Our midfield has been dire since the SAF days. Pogba has undoubtedly improved our midfield. He is a technically gifted player who would be snapped up immediately by a top club (probably Real or Barca) if we were daft enough to let him leave.
Has his season been disappointing? Possibly, by the lofty standards he set at Juve. Has he been our best midfield performer this season? No, imo that has been Ander. But i think Pogba's technical ceiling is the highest of our midfield and that he will develop next season into what Mourinho envisages for United, because he will have become accustomed to the league, the new manager, and the new system.
He has been frustrating at times, but he is a fantastic player who makes our midfield and team better. Next year, this will begin to show more clearly.
He is a downgrade.
- Status