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2017-18 Performances


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Stacks

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Nothing wrong? He suggested he wasn't trying - Probably the worst insult you can give to a professional footballer and an accusation that's totally baseless. How Pogba is getting singled out to begin with given his production and displays to this point is beyond reason in itself. He's not above criticism but to go the same tired line about his price tag and suggest that he of all people isn't doing enough for us is ridiculous. He's been outstanding.
I didn't hear that bit. Maybe its his style, it can look lax at times or a bit casual.
 

Canagel

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I really fail to understand why so many people in the media have problems with Pogba ?
The are jealous he is making more money than they could ever imagine just like Mourinho said.
 

Himannv

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....and at what exactly is Zidane better than Pogba even in Zidane's prime?
I'm not sure why we're comparing the two, but Zidane was possibly the best at creating space for himself using his skill and he combined that with vision and good decision making.

Pogba is still 24, but obviously the potential is there to be as good as, or even better than Zidane. He's a fantastic athlete with great passing range and those long legs make him a pretty good dribbler as he's able to beat a man with skill and ease. He's not easy to shake off the ball either so he can drive through the opposition a lot better than most players. His finishing isn't quite on the level of Zidane and his positioning is questionable at times, but he's still learning and getting better. He's still got a bit more to do to be considered better than someone like Zidane though. That should be clear enough considering his age.

There are different types of pundits and Scholes is a fairly critical one in general. He has high expectations and I think that's fair considering he would want United to do well and Pogba is a key player. I think part of the concern is due to the position he plays in as Scholes expects more from a Manchester United central midfielder and rightfully so. It's just that Pogba is not a typical CM and his best performances for Juventus occured when he featured more on the left side of a three-man midfield or even further forward. So, when he holds his position in central midfield, he's sort of restricted and not really dominating as much as we'd expect him to as he lacks that freedom to roam without losing his positioning.

These are the exact comments Scholes made:

Where is the Paul Pogba we saw at Juventus? He was all over the pitch, he was battling, he was tackling, he was sprinting to people, he was scoring goals from 25 yards out.

He is just strolling through games.

Pogba doesn't look fit. I wonder whether he is training properly.

He does not look like a player who will win you games and that is what you pay £90m for.

No-one in England should be getting near him, but he is being asked to do a role he is not comfortable in.

You have to say the manager has to take responsibility for that.

Is the manager sending them out not playing the way they want to play? I don’t know.
If you look at the comments from Scholes in the context of positioning, you can see he indicates that Pogba is playing a role he is not comfortable in and he's not meeting the high expectations as a CM or CDM considering his price tag. These comments are not made after the most recent game where he dominated when we played 4-3-3. They were made when we played 4-2-3-1 against Southampton and drew the game. I think his comments really should be directed at Mourinho (and he does this to some extent) because the 4-2-3-1 does not really allow Pogba to be Pogba.
 
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keener

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I'm fed up with commentators bashing on Paul with brainless comments about his effort, not doing enough, disappearing etc.. I really thing these guys don't watch the games and watch the affect that he has on the game.

Last game the pair of commentators mentioned that Pogba sometimes doesn't show up and further mentioned about our style not playing wide enough (when we put in 50 crosses). When I hear crap like that, I know it's just lazy journalism and the announcers aren't actually watching previous games to see how we play and how much Paul changes the game for us. I think Paul is the most influential player on our team and maybe the player in the league that matters most to any team. His combination of strength, skill and creativity is 2nd to none in the world.

We are a very good team with him in the lineup. We are, something very different when he doesn't play. And that can't always be quantified but let me try, United haven't lost a game with Pogba in the lineup since October 2016. That's 21 wins and 13 ties. Without him, 7 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses. Enough said.
 

Offside

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I’m getting sick and tired of how close he gets to scoring without ever doing so. He needs to be more accurate.
 

Trizy

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He pinged a ball with his weak foot about 40 yards straight to his player towards the 70min mark :drool:. He's as good as Scholes at passing.
 

Bubz27

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He pinged a ball with his weak foot about 40 yards straight to his player towards the 70min mark :drool:. He's as good as Scholes at passing.
Long range is better than Scholes imo. Short isn't quite as good, more to do with how Scholes would dictate a game. That said, at 24 Scholes wasn't doing that either.

Pogba is a cut above Scholes at the same age imo.
 

Canagel

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He could've scored a couple today. When he shoots it's either blocked and if it isn't blocked the goalie saves it and if the goalie can't save it the woodwork comes to his rescue. I don't think finishing is something that comes natural to Pogba but he always comes close. So close yet so far at the same time.
 

Devil may care

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Good game, brought a couple of good saves out of the keeper, I love him in thatr left sided floating role, we must build around that with our signings.
 

Brightonian

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What a player he was for us. I don't think he has reached his Juve level yet. But by the time he gets there , you will see what a beast he is. He just needs to not to be the main man in the middle. Manchester need a player like Pjanic or Marchisio to do the passing work and let Pogba takes care of final third.
It's Herrera. We just need to play Matic and Herrera in the big games with Pogba ahead of them. But to be fair to Jose, Herrera's been in wobbly form until very recently this season so it wasn't an option. Also he's trying to fit in a lot of attacking players with good numbers.
 

Manny

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He pinged a ball with his weak foot about 40 yards straight to his player towards the 70min mark :drool:. He's as good as Scholes at passing.
That pass was on another level. It caught me off guard.
 

Trizy

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Excellent. Looks like I was bang on with my time guess (even though I couldn't find it in the reply, must've skipped past it :lol:). Lovely pass. Something sexy about a left footed long pass when it's your weak foot.
 

Mciahel Goodman

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11 assists and 3 goals in 18 appearances. That's with his season split in three with an injury, comeback, and a three game suspension. Hasn't even hit his stride yet. Best player in the league along with de bruyne.
 

BluesJr

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11 assists and 3 goals in 18 appearances. That's with his season split in three with an injury, comeback, and a three game suspension. Hasn't even hit his stride yet. Best player in the league along with de bruyne.
Unfortunately this will never be the general consensus until we dominate a big game and he is the star of the show. I completely agree that he is but we need him to star in the games where everyone is watching. Once he's achieved this, the perception will be different and players will start to fear him even more.
 

MyOnlySolskjaer

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Unfortunately this will never be the general consensus until we dominate a big game and he is the star of the show. I completely agree that he is but we need him to star in the games where everyone is watching. Once he's achieved this, the perception will be different and players will start to fear him even more.
He was the difference against Arsenal even if we didn't dominate them.
 

RRCE

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Pogba is a beast of a player, and will only get better. We’re lucky to have him. The question really is, how does Jose consistently get the best out of him? The next midfield purchase will be a critical one.
 

Walters_19_MuFc

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Again showed glimpses of excellence today. Just oozes class. Such a cultured player.

I do think we need more width, though. As displayed in the gif above, Pogba has the ability to ping a ball out wide and get the wiger in a 1v1 (that instance it was Rashford). In order to stretch teams, we need to use the width of the pitch, and we've got a player in Pogba who can switch play with ease. We need to use it more often.
 

eat_grass

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Feels like Pogba's growing into that armband. :)

I guess Mourinho's method of teaching is to throw his players into the deep end of the pool and shout encouragement at them as they bob above and below the surface until they figure it out. :lol:
 
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