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2018-19 Performances


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Jeppers7

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What? No, and not Pogba in Matic's role. But, in a Two man midfield i'd play Matic over Pogba
It always baffles me as to why an attacking midfielder has glaring deficiencies yet a defensive one doesn't ? Weird.

As someone else has already said...Pogba won the World Cup in a midfield two. He's just wasted playing there.

As an attacking midfielder he has no weaknesses
 

jeff_goldblum

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It always baffles me as to why an attacking midfielder has glaring deficiencies yet a defensive one doesn't ? Weird.

As someone else has already said...Pogba won the World Cup in a midfield two. He's just wasted playing there.

As an attacking midfielder he has no weaknesses
The assertion that he played in a midfield two at the World Cup is false. Most games they played a lopsided 4-3-3 with Matuidi, Kante and Pogba in midfield.

I'd also say his only weakness as an AM is his decision-making.
 

Jeppers7

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The assertion that he played in a midfield two at the World Cup is false. Most games they played a lopsided 4-3-3 with Matuidi, Kante and Pogba in midfield.

I'd also say his only weakness as an AM is his decision-making.
So you'd say he played as an attacking midfielder in the World Cup ?

He has 10 goals and 11 assists I think this season ? Imagine if he didn't have weak decision making :houllier:
 

jeff_goldblum

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So you'd say he played as an attacking midfielder in the World Cup ?

He has 10 goals and 11 assists I think this season ? Imagine if he didn't have weak decision making :houllier:
Positionally Pogba played deeper than you'd expect of an AM, Griezmann played SS/AM, but that's not what you said. He certainly didn't play in a 2 at the world cup and he had the least defensive brief of the midfield 3.

If (when) Pogba's improves his decision-making I have no doubt he'll be the best player in the league. He's already up there.
 

Adisa

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A few tines we've been three v two, he's opted to shoot every time. Would like if he went for the through ball a bit.
 

Cassidy

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A few tines we've been three v two, he's opted to shoot every time. Would like if he went for the through ball a bit.
Personally like that he is shooting more, he does enough passing...
 

Andersonson

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It always baffles me as to why an attacking midfielder has glaring deficiencies yet a defensive one doesn't ? Weird.

As someone else has already said...Pogba won the World Cup in a midfield two. He's just wasted playing there.

As an attacking midfielder he has no weaknesses

He didnt play in a midfield two in the WC... And he isnt a AM. He's a box-to-box midfielder. A great one.
 

Canagel

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He didnt play in a midfield two in the WC... And he isnt a AM. He's a box-to-box midfielder. A great one.
Under Ole he is an AM.
Part of the front 4 actually as his average position has been higher than Lingard in some matches.
 

Adam-Utd

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A few tines we've been three v two, he's opted to shoot every time. Would like if he went for the through ball a bit.
Funnily enough the time he did pass to Lukaku he didn't read the pass.

The time he shot he got a rebound and we scored?

The other time he got fouled we got a freekick in a good position. He couldn't pass as he had no obvious/easy pass to make. The runs were not great.
 

Fortitude

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Interesting comparisons. I echo those sentiments.

For me historically the player he most resembles is Didi. Very technical midfielder with so much silks and just needs free roam role from midfield. Both have incredible range of passing and sublime dribbling and so much flair.

Didi better at dictate tempo and Pogba more of a threat physically but a lot of similarities IMO in that they’re very unorthodox CMs and need to be free spirits.

@Gio @Fortitude thoughts on that comparison?
I did go away and have a think about this, and I have to say I'm not sure you can compare him to anyone of repute directly - he's an oddity in so many ways and a player who, at best, is like an amalgamation of loads of different players in differing aspects of play. I do agree he's unorthodox in the extreme, though and I still don't believe he himself has an idea of what he's 'supposed' to be so he can't work on refining his game until he settles into one, so to speak. By the age he is, most of the greatest midfielders who have played pretty much had an identifiable game and you knew exactly what to expect from them on a game by game basis - I'm not sure we can say the same of Pogba even if we're assured he'll do something special during each 90.

Because of his height, massive stride and languid style, the amount of players he can be directly compared to reduces considerably. He may trap a ball or have a moment of skill like a Ronaldinho, but it's too fleeting to be a match, for me. I did think, with his gait, unpredictable nature and manoeuvring as well as his penchant for a long-range shot, that he has similarities with Paolo Wanchope, but obviously, one is a striker and the other a midfielder, and more than that, Pogba's passing, vision and incisiveness are in no way a match. The way Pogba passes, the sheer range and two-footedness he has reminds me of Glenn Hoddle, but unlike Hoddle, Pogba isn't yet in that ball park for sheer consistency, but he will be, I think.

I think there's a lot more to come from Pogba than we've seen either at Juventus or during his best days here thus far so, hopefully he stays here, and we get to re-visit this topic a year or two down the line.
 

Andersonson

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Under Ole he is an AM.
Part of the front 4 actually as his average position has been higher than Lingard in some matches.
Source? He has played 3 games as an AM. He has Even played more games as a DM than an AM.

Just check whoscored.com
 

bosnian_red

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Source? He has played 3 games as an AM. He has Even played more games as a DM than an AM.

Just check whoscored.com
He's saying under Ole Pogba is basically playing as a #10. Most advanced midfielder of a midfield 3. Essentially what De Bruyne did for Pep last year.
 

Andersonson

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He's saying under Ole Pogba is basically playing as a #10. Most advanced midfielder of a midfield 3. Essentially what De Bruyne did for Pep last year.
An advanced box-to-box yes, an AM no. We dont play 4231. We play 433. And Pogba plays in the midfield 3. Same role as Coutinho really, when he played there for Pool.
 

Sauldogba

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The assertion that he played in a midfield two at the World Cup is false. Most games they played a lopsided 4-3-3 with Matuidi, Kante and Pogba in midfield.

I'd also say his only weakness as an AM is his decision-making.
If by Am you mean number 10/ss hes never impressed me there at all.
And its not just his decision making that is bad its also his position and tracking back.

For me hes great in a midfield 3 where he has players close to him and hes not isolated.
 
Man Utd 2:2 Burnley

DWelbz19

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It was pretty much Pogba + 10 others today. The amount of reverse passes he made out to Shaw/Rashford and balls in behind that got wasted was just too tiresome to count.
 

Devil may care

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Quiet in the first half as he didn't have the Rashford/Lingard movement to hit but played several good balls to Young who had mixed results. In the second half he pulled us back into the game, at the center of everything we did and creating our best openings.
 

Idxomer

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That was reminiscent of his first season here, kept creating openings and chances for his teammates and they messed them all up.
 

Jim Beam

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He has become everything we thought we are getting when we bought him back and then some more. Dictating game, always trying to be open for a pass, spreding passes from all over the pitch, taking shots and getting into the box...

He needs creative help from somewhere.
 

Rozay

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Brilliant player, the best. He should score more goals though, I don’t see real conviction when he shoots most of the time.
 

Rozay

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The assertion that he played in a midfield two at the World Cup is false. Most games they played a lopsided 4-3-3 with Matuidi, Kante and Pogba in midfield.

I'd also say his only weakness as an AM is his decision-making.
If that’s the case then Lingard performs a similar role to Matuidi here.

A few tines we've been three v two, he's opted to shoot every time. Would like if he went for the through ball a bit.
He plays the pass if it’s on. Quite often, the runs of his teammates create a clear path to goal for him though so he goes for it alone.
 

Sauldogba

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Thought he was quite poor tonight.
Decision making was bad.
Didnt have a good last 15/20 minutes to mask it this time.
 

Jim Beam

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Thought he was quite poor tonight.
Decision making was bad.
Didnt have a good last 15/20 minutes to mask it this time.
Everything went through him in the second half, so you are either a WUM or pulled that one right out of your arse.

Could be both tbf.
 

Alemar

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Not the best match for Paul. But still the best player tonight (alongside Lindelof), as the others played even worse. 11th goal of the season via a brilliant penalty kick also counts.
 

jeff_goldblum

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If that’s the case then Lingard performs a similar role to Matuidi here.
Not sure what you're getting at here. The broadcasters stuck Matuidi on the left wing of a 4-2-3-1 on the pre-game teamsheets but he never actually played there. For most of France's World Cup Griezmann played off Giroud with Mbappe on the right, with no set player on the left. Kante anchored the midfield, Pogba was tasked with getting forward to support the front-3 and Matuidi played a dual defensive role supporting Kante whilst also covering the left to protect the fullback in the absence of a winger on that flank. The closest comparison in our squad would be Herrera, not Lingard.

Looking at how France played, a big thing for Pogba was that France's front-3 naturally clustered towards the right side of the pitch, dragging defenders that way and allowing Pogba to get more space in that leftish position he favours.
 

el3mel

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That wasn't a great game by any means. We had seen his 'great' games. Average performance but you have to keep him as he and Martial are the only change makers in our squad and the latter was absent.
 

shamans

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For his standards that wasn't a great game. Yes he was brilliant at times but that's because he has that extra quality. I don't blame him for us not picking all 3 points, but he could have done better (though plenty of players could have).
 

Adnan

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I thought he was good again and our sole creator. He played some fantastic passes that completely split Burnley wide open at times. The passes to Shaw and Young were incredibly executed. Pity Rashford didn't take advantage of his fantastic vision either..
 
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