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2018-19 Performances


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5.8 Season Average Rating
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47
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16
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Rozay

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Sublime assist (Scholes would have been proud if he made it), but otherwise - like the rest of the team - was mediocre.
This seems to be the standard comment after any great pass ever player by anyone. From my recollection, Scholes didn’t create anywhere near as many chances as Pogba or have the kind of assist ratio he has. Pogba is the most creative passer we have had at the club in my lifetime, unless we are considering Becks’ crossing. No central player has opened up teams as often as him, Rooney and Scholes were more cross-field specialists.
 

Dec9003

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Another strong performance. We need to bring midfield options in so he can get opportunities to rest, even if it's just coming off at 70 minutes gone if we're winning.
If he gets too fatigued we might be in trouble.
 

Robertd0803

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That run in the 90th minute, powering through midfield and eventually winning a free kick despite being absolutely knackered, was phenomenal
Even better is you knew exactly what his intention was at the end of it given he did the same thing against Arsenal. Not just aimless running. Awesome stuff.
 

ravi2

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That run in the 90th minute, powering through midfield and eventually winning a free kick despite being absolutely knackered, was phenomenal
That run was a mark of a world class player, it took so much pressure off of us. He is such a talent
 

ravi2

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We will never see a 100% Pogba until the clearout and substantial upgrade of quality on the pitch around him.
With a proper RW, CB and one very attacking fullback he (and the entire team) would be very difficult to play against. If we use this summer transfer wisely we will be challenging for titles next season.
 

Terminator

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World class. We need to keep him fit for the next 10 games, by far our best outfield player.
 

yfoFC

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Mainly imo because we are playing more of a pass and move type of football. So he has more options for simpler pass and move stuff particularly on the left.
That's part of it but I've also noticed him making first time passes back to the defenders just like Herrera does so he doesn't get caught with the ball, you noticed that?

It has cut down his habit of trying to shield the ball against 4 players while he's added that gliding run from deep where no one seems to be able to touch him :drool:

More of the gliding run and less of the shielding act please..
 

yfoFC

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Also, as another poster said, we need to rest him against Fulham but I'd have him on the bench just in case..
 

Van Piorsing

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With a proper RW, CB and one very attacking fullback he (and the entire team) would be very difficult to play against. If we use this summer transfer wisely we will be challenging for titles next season.
Yup. One good summer from everyone (Glazers, Woodward & rest of the board plus manager) could do wonders but actions needs to be taken, not to mention preparations for convincing targets to join, so we can finally avoid Griezmann situation.

Wasting best years of Pogba and not providing him players to play with would be a crime. Same goes to De Gea who needs a proper defense in achieving complete greatness.
 

ravi2

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Yup. One good summer from everyone (Glazers, Woodward & rest of the board plus manager) could do wonders but actions needs to be taken, not to mention preparations for convincing targets to join, so we can finally avoid Griezmann situation.

Wasting best years of Pogba and not providing him players to play with would be a crime. Same goes to De Gea who needs a proper defense in achieving complete greatness.
It'll be so frustrating if we dont recruit properly this summer as the deficiencies in our squad are blatantly obvious. Even if we just get a CB and RW we'll be in muh better shape, but I feel as though we need a RB and backup for Matic as well. We have the money, Woodie needs to get the DOF in asap and lets get going!
 

VanGaalEra

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I’m a bit worried about burnout because we need him to play all the time. Should look at having him on the bench against Fulham, surely we’d be ok resting him for that game.
 

Reiver

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As others have said, I'm also worried about burnout. He's also starting to come in for some very rough treatment and I think referees let a lot of it go because he's so powerful. OGS should take a cue from Pep and publicly call on refs to protect his player.
 

In Rainbows

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This seems to be the standard comment after any great pass ever player by anyone. From my recollection, Scholes didn’t create anywhere near as many chances as Pogba or have the kind of assist ratio he has. Pogba is the most creative passer we have had at the club in my lifetime, unless we are considering Becks’ crossing. No central player has opened up teams as often as him, Rooney and Scholes were more cross-field specialists.
Yep. Scholes was great, not for creating, but for being a constant presence in possession. Give it to Scholes and he would find a passing option to retain possession. It's very important when wanting to dominate a game and it's something we currently lack.

Yup. One good summer from everyone (Glazers, Woodward & rest of the board plus manager) could do wonders but actions needs to be taken, not to mention preparations for convincing targets to join, so we can finally avoid Griezmann situation.

Wasting best years of Pogba and not providing him players to play with would be a crime. Same goes to De Gea who needs a proper defense in achieving complete greatness.
This is something I've stressed too. We're just wasting the primes of these talents. It's very difficult to get players with that level of class. It would be a shame if we just settle.

I know it won't happen, but getting de Ligt and Sancho would be amazing. To balance the financial side of it, we should be integrating Tuanzebe, Gomes, Greenwood, etc... into the side to save money.
 
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meamth

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This is what worries me. His powerhouse style of play might be dangerous for him to do it without rest.

Yesterday he almost twisted his ankle after that stupid challenge by Evans.

Looks so knackered, we should rest him against Fulham.
 

KM

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There is no better midfielder in the world right now.
 

haram

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Why does he amble about defensively and then suddenly explode into life when the ball is at his feet at the end of games?...

Come on Paul...
 

kouroux

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Yep. Scholes was great, not for creating, but for being a constant presence in possession. Give it to Scholes and he would find a passing option to retain possession. It's very important when wanting to dominate a game and it's something we currently lack.


This is something I've stressed too. We're just wasting the primes of these talents. It's very difficult to get players with that level of class. It would be a shame if we just settle.

I know it won't happen, but getting de Ligt and Sancho would be amazing. To balance the financial side of it, we should be integrating Tuanzebe, Gomes, Greenwood, etc... into the side to save money.
Imagine peak Scholes (the CM one and not the advanced one) playing with the current Pogba.
 

roonster09

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20 goals + assists in 29 games, 120 mins per G+A is just amazing for a midfielder. It's very good numbers even for pure attackers, for a midfielder to have those numbers is just brilliant.
 

NoPace

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I'm a bit terrified of him getting an injury. We would really struggle to create.
I think we'd have to seriously consider playing 4-2-3-1:

Martial-Rashford-Lukaku/Lingard/Sanchez
--------Mata/Lingard----
-----Matic-----Herrera--

since I'm not sure I see a route to creating chances otherwise. We also need to sign another creative midfielder of some kind to get us to another chance creator and also so we're not just barren when Pogba is out. I think it might take precedence over a DM since Herrera can get his minutes as a 6 when Matic doesn't play:

Pogba/Fred-------CM/Herrera
---------Herrera/Matic--------

looks strong for next year as long as the CM is a consistent chance creating type.
 

ice-bionic red

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I don’t think he was great in this game. But yet his 7/10 looks like getting a goal or assist EVERY game that’s how good he is. He gave the ball away quite a lot but had some magical passes too.

I dread to think how we’ll cope without him
 

Rozay

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I don’t think he was great in this game. But yet his 7/10 looks like getting a goal or assist EVERY game that’s how good he is. He gave the ball away quite a lot but had some magical passes too.

I dread to think how we’ll cope without him
I don’t think it was ‘quite a lot’. Think it was 2 or 3 times. In general, I think he kept possession very well in circumstances where many would have lost it. Due to his technical ability he can resist the pressure.
 

Gandalf Greyhame

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The man is really getting to my nerves.

He is clearly a very talented and motivated player. He showed it at Juventus, and he's done it at the World Cup. The latter in the very same role that Mourinho plays him in at United. And somehow he's half-arsed to do it for United. He's produced jack-shit by his standards here, and suddenly it's on the club that we aren't challenging for honours? If he kept his fecking shit together, maybe he could played a pivotal role against Sevilla and taken us further in the CL. If he had done better against Liverpool and Chelsea, perhaps we'd be closer to the top, and have won the FA Cup. Pogba is the underperformer here, not the club. He takes it too easy in so many games, and decides to turn up for a few.

Gary Neville summed him up perfectly in our win against Palace:
"His great weakness is that he plays like he's playing in the park with his mates. It's like everything he does is like a YouTube or Instagram video. It's like it's not serious, it's like a joke to him in terms of the way he goes about things. It's no wonder (manager) Jose Mourinho has left him out for the past few weeks a number of times."

It's all well and nice to say that Mourinho is not getting the best out of him, but what else can a manager do? The team IS built around him right now. We bought Fred because we needed better fits for the 4-3-3. We're after a ball-playing CB so that we can push higher up the pitch and let him do his thing. We spent crazy money because we valued him, and now because his fat asshole of an agent wants a big check, he wants out, with 4 years left on his contract?

He's a great player with a shit attitude. He doesn't have the desire to win every single game, to take new challenges every game. I don't think that'll change, and he'll never be consistently world class. Serie A is his level, where he can half-ass his way to domestic titles, and turn up for the CL games. He'll struggle in Barca, too, when he takes it too easy against the Valencias and the Villareals.

Sell him in an exchange offer for Dembele and cash, I'd say. Let the fecker go and get criticised for being too casual in another competitive league.
Pogback was a mistake.
Was fishing for this post of mine back in August, where I wanted him gone.

After having seen what he can do under a manager who lets him do what he wants, I've decided to take back my opinion. He is unplayable when he cares and infuriating when he doesn't, so lets do everything we can to make him care.
 

SATA

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Yes he needs a break. He's been really clocking up the mileage. Leave him at home this weekend and have him fresh for PSG. Mata can deputise his role
 

Sauldogba

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This seems to be the standard comment after any great pass ever player by anyone. From my recollection, Scholes didn’t create anywhere near as many chances as Pogba or have the kind of assist ratio he has. Pogba is the most creative passer we have had at the club in my lifetime, unless we are considering Becks’ crossing. No central player has opened up teams as often as him, Rooney and Scholes were more cross-field specialists.
People had the audacity to call me clueless when i said Pogba was a better passer than Scholes.
Im glad someone else has said it.
 

TsuWave

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This seems to be the standard comment after any great pass ever player by anyone. From my recollection, Scholes didn’t create anywhere near as many chances as Pogba or have the kind of assist ratio he has. Pogba is the most creative passer we have had at the club in my lifetime, unless we are considering Becks’ crossing. No central player has opened up teams as often as him, Rooney and Scholes were more cross-field specialists.
Fully agree with this post.
 

Adam-Utd

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This seems to be the standard comment after any great pass ever player by anyone. From my recollection, Scholes didn’t create anywhere near as many chances as Pogba or have the kind of assist ratio he has. Pogba is the most creative passer we have had at the club in my lifetime, unless we are considering Becks’ crossing. No central player has opened up teams as often as him, Rooney and Scholes were more cross-field specialists.

Not the best quality video but skip to 3.50 onwards. Scholes was way more than just a sideways passer. Maybe towards the end when his legs went and sat deeper he utilised the wings more, but he was fantastic at splitting defences also. Pogba is definitely up with him, but don't underrate just how good he was at pretty much everything.
 

Adam-Utd

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People had the audacity to call me clueless when i said Pogba was a better passer than Scholes.
Im glad someone else has said it.
Better is probably the wrong term to use. Just as good in quality, but less consistent at short passing for sure.
 

Rozay

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Not the best quality video but skip to 3.50 onwards. Scholes was way more than just a sideways passer. Maybe towards the end when his legs went and sat deeper he utilised the wings more, but he was fantastic at splitting defences also. Pogba is definitely up with him, but don't underrate just how good he was at pretty much everything.
Don’t get me wrong, of course he created goals. I just don’t think he was as prolific as Pogba, and nowhere on a level where we need to be looking at Pogba assists and saying ‘Scholes would be proud’. Like, that’s what Pogba does. Every game. And some of his passes are totally outrageous.

For me, he’s a better passer than Scholes, good as Scholes was. Scholes probably gave the ball away a bit less over shorter distance, as sometimes Pogba gets a little sloppy with it. That said, in terms of chance creation, I do think Scholes assists were a bit less ‘outrageous’, although he did create a few with real magic too. Also, any pass he could make, Pogba can make with his left foot for good measure.

As we’re enjoying videos. And this doesn’t include the last couple month’s specials.

 

Adam-Utd

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Don’t get me wrong, of course he created goals. I just don’t think he was as prolific as Pogba, and nowhere on a level where we need to be looking at Pogba assists and saying ‘Scholes would be proud’. Like, that’s what Pogba does. Every game. And some of his passes are totally outrageous.

For me, he’s a better passer than Scholes, good as Scholes was. Scholes probably gave the ball away a bit less over shorter distance, as sometimes Pogba gets a little sloppy with it. That said, in terms of chance creation, I do think Scholes assists were a bit less ‘outrageous’, although he did create a few with real magic too. Also, any pass he could make, Pogba can make with his left foot for good measure.

As we’re enjoying videos. And this doesn’t include the last couple month’s specials.

I think Pogba is definitely on that level for sure. They're both my favourite players at United, so i'm totally in agreement about Pogba being fantastic, but Scholes was genuinely world class 8/10 every game, the team was obviously setup more to be about wingplay which is probably why we saw less "fancy" assists. Anyway, how lucky we are to have Pogba in this form!

I shudder to think what would have happened if Mourinho was here any longer. Pogba and Martial potentially gone :eek: thank god Woodward put his foot down.
 

Rozay

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I think Pogba is definitely on that level for sure. They're both my favourite players at United, so i'm totally in agreement about Pogba being fantastic, but Scholes was genuinely world class 8/10 every game, the team was obviously setup more to be about wingplay which is probably why we saw less "fancy" assists. Anyway, how lucky we are to have Pogba in this form!

I shudder to think what would have happened if Mourinho was here any longer. Pogba and Martial potentially gone :eek: thank god Woodward put his foot down.
I think Pogba has massively suffered reputation wise due to the era in which he is playing for us. He isn’t perfect. But he’s sensational, and has been on the most part since he re-joined us, not just 6 weeks ago. I think the key difference is 6 weeks ago we became a good team that actually wins games. As a result, everyone is seen as a good player again. Our defenders are being praised etc.

I re-watch older games on MUTV all the time. Retired players from successful eras are remembered as YouTube compilations of perfection. The weaknesses in their games doesn’t matter in the history books. I’ve said before, but there is a massive and disproportionate emphasis on the things Pogba can’t do well, especially considering how much he CAN do very well.

Look at this goal on 02:06 for example:


Souness may have a cardiac arrest if Pogba ‘defended’ like that. Ultimately, Scholes played in a midfield two and couldn’t really defend but it didn’t matter as we didn’t have a particular problem with conceding goals. If we did, it may have been a bigger criticism, as opposed to some topic of giggles that ‘he couldn’t really tackle’.

In my personal opinion, I think Pogba is a better player than Scholes. If things continue for him and the team in the manner they have gone in the last 6 weeks, I don’t think there would be much argument. Him getting his full appreciation is largely contingent on us winning things, the same with the rest of our players. This is why people think Luka Modric is a better footballer, in my opinion, although I’m never having that personally. I reckon if we had won 3 CLsnin a row, nobody else would be having it either. Same for Kroos.
 

Patrick08

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Why does he amble about defensively and then suddenly explode into life when the ball is at his feet at the end of games?...

Come on Paul...
Apparently the cafe does not like that side of his game being pointed out. Part of the reason we are never convincing in big games. Matic looses his legs and energy and he falls back playing as a extra defender but still he contributes in our own penalty areas, while pogba is half arsed and moody doing that side of the game, Herrera can't do it alone and we see the whole team dropping so deep as a result .
 

Adam-Utd

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I think Pogba has massively suffered reputation wise due to the era in which he is playing for us. He isn’t perfect. But he’s sensational, and has been on the most part since he re-joined us, not just 6 weeks ago. I think the key difference is 6 weeks ago we became a good team that actually wins games. As a result, everyone is seen as a good player again. Our defenders are being praised etc.

I re-watch older games on MUTV all the time. Retired players from successful eras are remembered as YouTube compilations of perfection. The weaknesses in their games doesn’t matter in the history books. I’ve said before, but there is a massive and disproportionate emphasis on the things Pogba can’t do well, especially considering how much he CAN do very well.

Look at this goal on 02:06 for example:


Souness may have a cardiac arrest if Pogba ‘defended’ like that. Ultimately, Scholes played in a midfield two and couldn’t really defend but it didn’t matter as we didn’t have a particular problem with conceding goals. If we did, it may have been a bigger criticism, as opposed to some topic of giggles that ‘he couldn’t really tackle’.

In my personal opinion, I think Pogba is a better player than Scholes. If things continue for him and the team in the manner they have gone in the last 6 weeks, I don’t think there would be much argument. Him getting his full appreciation is largely contingent on us winning things, the same with the rest of our players. This is why people think Luka Modric is a better footballer, in my opinion, although I’m never having that personally. I reckon if we had won 3 CLsnin a row, nobody else would be having it either. Same for Kroos.
Pogba's physical qualities give him the ability to drive through a midfield like Scholes/Xavi/Modric never could, but he can still pass just as good as those which is what makes him quite so special.

I think the problem is when he has a stinker, he's REALLY off the boil. People like to see consistency with midfielders, but he was great in the 1st season with Mourinho, he only really started playing poorly when their relationship went stale. He's obviously a man that has to be happy to be at his best, and Mourinho was doing his best to upset him for some reason.

I also think his natural game is to move forward straight away, so using him in the AMC role lets him do that with little worry of losing the ball. In CM you need to knit the passing together with ball work rather than carrying it forward, as if you lose the ball you're in real trouble of a counter. This is something Pogba struggled to balance sometimes.

Let's be honest though Pogba is more Zidane than Xavi, so using him in AMC was the right thing all along. No coincidence we see his best there.
 
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