[RedStarUnited]

Of course hr was the weak link off the ball when Spurs were attacking and were in possession. Herrera and matic had a great game defensively where they were breaking up the play and blocking shots all the time which resulted from the pressure generated due to not having a solid defensive block without the ball enough times in partnership with Herrera.

Now, I do not want to play a spoil sport to all the high mood we have around here neglecting his other side of the game were he was good enough, but with that attitude towards positioning and defense I don't see how we can walk into any game against top teams and top clubs as favourites without willing to depend on cb and keeper to bail us out without it being a grind in the end.

Ideally if Pogba pays attention to that side of his game, he will be on another level as a midfielder. With top midfielders you have to expect this kind of game awareness which i am willing to highlight in the video.


The fight bastian puts into the midfield without the ball in partner ship with Martinez as a defensive block, stops Barcelona from getting to the final third and create host of chances and offer resistance in the middle of the pitch. This is how bayern maintains control of the game without having the keeper and defense to bail them out. The pressing and ball winning instantly puts Barcelona vulnerable to counter attacks and it does not affect bastians ability to affect the game offensively on the ball with goals and assists as he times his run perfectly into the box to create that plus one effect in oppositions box which is a deadly attribute pogba also possess. Now Herrera is not as good as martinez but he still puts a shift in and offers resistance in midfield, matic hasn't got the legs to be a def mid playing in a two any more but as a 6 he did some great defensive work last night as well.

Now put our midfield against the technical players Barcelona possess i could totally see us losing the midfield battle and probably the game as top players will beat de gea 2-3 times if they have so many shots at goal.

To be a big team, you have to play like one. When ever we play a big team i can see our midfield folding when the opposition piles on the pressure with high intensity and pogba's lack of effort will always put is on the back foot as all the big teams playing football these days majorly wants to play with the ball and its going to take a significant effort in the middle of the pitch to win it back which pogba keeps getting exposed at time and time again.

At juventus he had that luxury to cover for him and he was a developing player then, who needed all the freedom in the world to just stay up field and damage when your fellow mid partners do all the dirty work and give the ball to you. But it's not the case with this team. If you play as a no 8 defensive work inside our own box is expected as well. I dont see how this will not come back to haunt us in the near future again.

Since Ole has been in charge;

- Only Kane has had more shots than him. Kane has 19, Pogba has 18.
- He has scored or assisted 8 goals. No player has had more.

His contributions in attack are tremendous for us right now. What I am basically saying is, you seriously cannot expect Pogba to do the above and contribute significantly to our defensive side too. What are Matic and Herrera meant to do?

 

[laughtersassassin]

Since Ole has been in charge;

- Only Kane has had more shots than him. Kane has 19, Pogba has 18.
- He has scored or assisted 8 goals. No player has had more.

His contributions in attack are tremendous for us right now. What I am basically saying is, you seriously cannot expect Pogba to do the above and contribute significantly to our defensive side too. What are Matic and Herrera meant to do?

A poster who has his head screwed on right! Also he is contributing defensively as well. It not like he never comes back which even that would be ok if Ole told him.

 

[deafepl]

Since Ole has been in charge;

- Only Kane has had more shots than him. Kane has 19, Pogba has 18.
- He has scored or assisted 8 goals. No player has had more.

His contributions in attack are tremendous for us right now. What I am basically saying is, you seriously cannot expect Pogba to do the above and contribute significantly to our defensive side too. What are Matic and Herrera meant to do?

He's probably the most complete player in the world right now on form, contribute offensively in the third final as well as in our defensive side and involved in build-up play, that's why we build the team around him.

 

[TsuWave]

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[Rolaholic]

 

[WR10]

Against most opposition we don’t need Pogba to defend. Oppopsition are too occupied trying to stop him from shredding them apart. When you have that happening you end up having to defend a lot less due to the fear factor. However in big games he creates a hole too big. The gamble you play is that he can produce just enough to get us more goals than we concede - see pass to Rashford. However as you also saw against spurs in that last 25 minutes where it was raining on DDG - 3 of those big chances came from Pogbas individual mistakes.

Mourinho didn’t like to gamble the high risk high reward game. You simply give up that defensive security in midfield.

90% of games in the PL will be a cake walk for us with him firing on all cylinders in attack though.

Better game management is needed with him on the field for us in the big games.

 

[kouroux]

A poster who has his head screwed on right! Also he is contributing defensively as well. It not like he never comes back which even that would be ok if Ole told him.

Very true. I'd even go as far as saying that his defensive contribution is very good because he knows he has the freedom to attack and he is natural leader. When the team needs him, he will happily help out

 

[roonster09]

Very true. I'd even go as far as saying that his defensive contribution is very good because he knows he has the freedom to attack and he is natural leader. When the team needs him, he will happily help out

There is very noticeable improvement in the pressing too. People will always blame him for not tracking runners without realising we have 2 more midfielders for that and Pogba is positioned higher than other 2 so he contributes a lot in attacking.

 

[Class of 63]

Very true. I'd even go as far as saying that his defensive contribution is very good because he knows he has the freedom to attack and he is natural leader. When the team needs him, he will happily help out

That's jolly decent of him

 

[kouroux]

That's jolly decent of him

You know what I'm saying

 

[Class of 63]

You know what I'm saying

Yeah, but it shouldn't even be an issue, defend as a team, attack as a team

 

[Bwuk]

Against most opposition we don’t need Pogba to defend. Oppopsition are too occupied trying to stop him from shredding them apart. When you have that happening you end up having to defend a lot less due to the fear factor. However in big games he creates a hole too big. The gamble you play is that he can produce just enough to get us more goals than we concede - see pass to Rashford. However as you also saw against spurs in that last 25 minutes where it was raining on DDG - 3 of those big chances came from Pogbas individual mistakes.

Mourinho didn’t like to gamble the high risk high reward game. You simply give up that defensive security in midfield.

90% of games in the PL will be a cake walk for us with him firing on all cylinders in attack though.

Better game management is needed with him on the field for us in the big games.

Pogba in big games is one of our most important players defensively for countering.

If we won the ball at the edge of our box, and we have Rashford running at the half way line, Pogba is the man in our side you want hitting the ball over the top.

Against Spurs we tried to match them with man marking, something Pogba has never been great at.

 

[kouroux]

Yeah, but it shouldn't even be an issue, defend as a team, attack as a team

Well that's the theory but the reality is very much different, as we saw under Jose

 

[roonster09]

Yeah, but it shouldn't even be an issue, defend as a team, attack as a team

Tbf we are defending and attacking as a team, just that each individual have different responsibilities. For example, Matic won't play and make attacking runs, that's what Pogba does. In similar way Pogba won't track runners into the box, we have Herrera and Matic to do that. That's who we should play. Play to players' strengths.

 

[roonster09]

Well that's the theory but the reality is very much different, as we saw under Jose

Think we are closer to attack and defend as a team now. Not very good but step in right direction.

 

[mav_9me]

My feeling is Pogba is more zidane than lampard.

 

[Adisa]

Looks like he's become a dad.

 

[MadDogg]

I think that must be the first time I've heard Yaya speak. I had no idea he was so soft spoken. Not what I expected at all.

 

[Jeppers7]

Yeah, but it shouldn't even be an issue, defend as a team, attack as a team

Funny how this doesn't always happen....yet people don't care

 

[charlenefan]

#pogdad

 

[haram]

Looks like he's become a dad.

9 months after the 3-2 at the Etihad

Matic as well

 

[breakout67]

Pogba is floating around the pitch, linking up with forwards, making late runs into the box. Mourinho's biggest failure was not finding a setup for him to shine, especially because he actually uses those type of players ie Ozil and Oscar. Pogba's work rate is very good within no.10 standards as well.

That being said, I still see a higher level for Pogba. We were pinned back in the 2nd half, but with better personnel we would have been more in the game. Matic drops very deep and Herrera's main qualities are off the ball. Pogba faded because he was in our own half for most of that second half.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

#pogbaby

 

[Theatre0fDreams]

#pogbaby

Didn’t even know he had a girlfriend. For a guy who is so active on social media, he keeps his personal life quite private. No announcements of the baby either.

 

[Kostov]

Congratulations for the birth of his child if true. I never realized he even had a girlfriend never mind one which was expecting his kid

 

[Adisa]

His girlfriend.

 

[Name Changed]

When Shelvey doesn't even get a yellow for a challenge as bad and twice as malicious he would be very hard done by to be sent off.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[Pace Abuser]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Shelvey not getting anything for his challenge sets the precedent in the game. Every other subsequent challenge is judged against that metric, it demonstrates the referees approach.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Yeah, but it shouldn't even be an issue, defend as a team, attack as a team

He does that though. At 1 point in the 2nd half either Martial/Rashford didn't follow Trippier, and Pogba belted after him and won the ball.

if he was truly as lazy as people say then he wouldn't do that. Pogba has never lacked the ability to defend or work hard, he just switches off occasionally.

Let's be honest people don't play football matches to have an attack v defence game going on for 90 minutes, no wonder players started getting bored and switching off.

He's similar to Gerrard in the sense that he can do it all, but why rely on him doing that when it's not his strength? Put him behind the forward and he can be the talismanic figure like we expect. He's very similar to Gerrard in many ways actually when I think of it.

 

[Name Changed]

so every challenge ever

Shelvey not getting anything for his challenge sets the precedent in the game. Every other subsequent challenge is judged against that metric, it demonstrates the referees approach.

So every challenge ever should be compared to Shelvey's? That is ridiculous. Just because a referee makes a mistake doesn't mean every decision from then on is based on that.

 

[MartinRed]

He's good.If only he can reduce these switching off moments to zero it will be great.

 

[FootyGirl88]

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[Suedesi]

Hopefully he'll soon bang in a few screamers like here

 

[Jib]

Great game again.

 

[el3mel]

Good game, not groundbreaking but if that is his base level then great.

 

[lawliet354]

His shooting is a little bit off today, the usual him would have scored more

 

[Aloysius's Back 3]

He is a bit too greedy as a midfielder - needs to tone it down & look for the best option first.

 

[Minimalist]

By his high standards, that was pretty poor stuff.

Really should be dominating a side like Brighton. That's twice he's failed to do so.

 

[RedStarUnited]

Shooting was so off today - He should have hit the target at least once.

 

[shamans]

I thought he was good.