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2020-21 Performances


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Jeppers7

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Quite right. Football is a team game. Defenders cannot just defend. Same for midfield and forwards.
It was just lazy.
We were playing for offside. If the back line were retreating I’d agree that he should go with the man. We weren’t doing that and Lookman was onside by a toenail due to AWB not holding the line. You don’t go with the run there, as a midfielder it’s very very rare to run past your CB when defending a situation in which they are holding a line.
 

UpWithRivers

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Fiction.

As for the rest, people need to stop this ‘because we’re playing well’, or ‘because we’re a winning team’ stuff. He’s played no small part in making us become that team this season, he hasn’t just been witnessing it.

This isn’t the first time he’s played well, and if we had been top in some of the other seasons, a lot of his performances would probably be remembered a lot differently today I suspect.
He literally got his agent to come out and say that he was leaving when he wasnt getting in the team at the start of the season. And thats not the first time. Hows that fiction?
And my point wasnt that he is only playing well because the team is. My point is that the best Pogba is a loved Pogba in a winning team.
 

Buster15

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We were playing for offside. If the back line were retreating I’d agree that he should go with the man. We weren’t doing that and Lookman was onside by a toenail due to AWB not holding the line. You don’t go with the run there, as a midfielder it’s very very rare to run past your CB when defending a situation.
Not so in the modern game.
My point is that he started running back with Lookman but then stopped and raised his hand claiming offside.
Why should he not play to the whistle instead of taking the risk.
 

Jeppers7

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Problem is according to Pogba fanbois he never plays poorly. Truth is somewhere in the middle.

At the moment, he looks like a guy who's been told to put in a shift so he has more options to leave too in the summer.
As with all players. I remember Roy Keane playing well for about two seasons consistently, or it seemed that way. Can’t think of anyone else really.
 

Jeppers7

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Not so in the modern game.
My point is that he started running back with Lookman but then stopped and raised his hand claiming offside.
Why should he not play to the whistle instead of taking the risk.
Because that’s just not what happens, you could argue all players should do that. You can argue defence shouldn’t play for offside, in fact Ole questioned why the back four played for offside, but we clearly did. It happens move on. AWB is to blame or whoever gave the order to push up rather than drop back.
 

Idxomer

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Problem is according to Pogba fanbois he never plays poorly. Truth is somewhere in the middle.

At the moment, he looks like a guy who's been told to put in a shift so he has more options to leave too in the summer.
I bet you couldn't pick one post that indicates that. The 2nd part is just made up fantasy where some actually led themselves to believe Paul Pogba will ever have a trouble picking up a club when he decides to leave.
 

NinjaZombie

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Our players didn't care about the celebration rules when Pogba scored. :lol:
 

MDFC Manager

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At the moment, he looks like a guy who's been told to put in a shift so he has more options to leave too in the summer.
Is this something that actually happens in real life or just another made up football myth?

Pogba playing well: "He's doing it to look for a move!"

Pogba not playing well: "He's doing it to look for a move!"
 

mancan92

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I can't tell if people are blind, or I just don't get football. He was absolutely crap, goal aside. He had one other nice pass into Martial in the box, but apart from that I thought he was really bad. He is incredibly dangerous to have in a deep position.
Don't think you know what you are on about mate
 

mancan92

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Just pointing randomly and then switching off doesn't absolve him of blame. He didn't check where Bailly actually was when he pointed, and he just let Lookman go without checking he was being picked up. The goal was on Pogba far more than it was Bailly. It's a flaw he has and he's done it dozens of times where he expects somebody else to pick a man up and just lets them run off him. Luckily he redeemed himself in the rest of the game.
No midfielder in the history or the game is running in behind their cbs so I don't know why you would expect that of pogba
 

11101

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What do you get a signed agreement? You’re also ignoring the offside trap obviously to continue your narrative, so whatever. AWB is at fault here because the back line are pushing up to play offside. In any case it happens. People score goals and break offside traps identically to this regularly. A player makes a run, the back four push up in a line but it doesn’t come off because one defender doesn’t hold the line.
The offside trap is another thing. There was about an inch in it, but at the time the pass was played Lookman was already 6 feet away from Pogba and accelerating.

Fact is Lookman was able to to take two touches, look up, and then pick his shot, all without a player anywhere near him. That's not AWB's fault. It's Pogba's.
 

The Original

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He literally got his agent to come out and say that he was leaving when he wasnt getting in the team at the start of the season. And thats not the first time. Hows that fiction?
And my point wasnt that he is only playing well because the team is. My point is that the best Pogba is a loved Pogba in a winning team.
err no...Pogba was starting at the beginning but Ole dropped him after conceding that he was not being fair to Pogba by starting him because he (Pogba) wasn't ready. Raiola's comments were never about playing time, as in fact, Pogba got dropped right after he made those comments. Raiola was looking for a new and improved contract for his player.
 

tenpoless

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If only we had a one man midfield like Carrick, we could afford playing Bruno and Pogba in every game.
4-1-2-3

5 attackers
 

UpWithRivers

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err no...Pogba was starting at the beginning but Ole dropped him after conceding that he was not being fair to Pogba by starting him because he (Pogba) wasn't ready. Raiola's comments were never about playing time, as in fact, Pogba got dropped right after he made those comments. Raiola was looking for a new and improved contract for his player.
So he wasnt playing. we were playing badly. Sulk. Agent come out and says he's leaving. It wasnt a coincidence.
 

Rozay

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He literally got his agent to come out and say that he was leaving when he wasnt getting in the team at the start of the season. And thats not the first time. Hows that fiction?
And my point wasnt that he is only playing well because the team is. My point is that the best Pogba is a loved Pogba in a winning team.
He’s been left out of the team since then too, without problem. Did he start vs Leeds? Did he start at Leicester? Did he come straight back in and perform next game?

As for the latter point, I agree that he is better in a better team with motivation/focus on winning. This is probably not unusual in football. Most of the ‘top players’ you can name likely either play for a top team, or don’t play for a top team yet but are playing well to impress a top team and get their move. I doubt you can name many top footballers who have won World Cups, and made CL finals etc spending their prime years around 5th-7th in the league.

People speak about KDB for example, but it hasn’t been shown weather he can ‘carry’ a City team who are floating in 6th. He also isn’t outstanding nearly as often as implied himself anyway, but when you are in a generally successful team, those things are typically airbrushed out when games are won. You probably can’t remember 5 poor Keane or Scholes games across their entire careers, but they definitely had them. Who cares that Keane gave the ball away 3 times in a game where Ronaldo scored two and we win at Southampton? Conversely, Pogba himself is getting a lot of praise now partly because of his performances, but also because the team is winning. If we were not, I’m confident the narrative would be that he should be doing more.
 

passing-wind

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No midfielder in the history or the game is running in behind their cbs so I don't know why you would expect that of pogba
Honestly Lookman drifts into an area where its the defences priority to deal with. It seems people cannot tend to who's at fault between Maguire and Bailey fair enough Pogba doesn't track the run but that's when the defences influences needs to come in tact. We concede too many goals on this basis.
 

kouroux

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Problem is according to Pogba fanbois he never plays poorly. Truth is somewhere in the middle.

At the moment, he looks like a guy who's been told to put in a shift so he has more options to leave too in the summer.
There isn't a single so called fanboi of Pogba who thinks that. Even his biggest fans will admit that he wasn't as good as he could be in certain games.
I don't understand what you get from from fictious debates in your brain. It really is something fascinating. I challenge you to find a post that says it as blatantly.
 

Isotope

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Its not THE standard. its just an example. Roy Keane vs Juve, Gerrard vs Milan, Scholes vs Arsenal, Gerrard vs Madrid are some other examples.
Yeh, those are pretty high, man. I mean, Bruno hasn't had those kind of games at United, but he's arguably been "world class" since he's here.
I thought Pogba vs Burnley was world class. Maybe my standard is just pretty low.
 

Conor

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He was mediocre except for the goal, he could have prevented their goal if he took responsibility too. That said he scored a decisive beauty in one of those awkward tight games against lesser sides that we always had in title races under Fergie in the winter. Most of the team was under par so I think you have to give Pogba his due here as he produced the significant moment.

After so many years scraping for 4th spot it feels good to grind out wins like this in a title run.
Yeah I agree with all of this, just not seeing this 'brilliant performance' at all. He was excellent against Burnley, and crap against Liverpool. Same as he has always been, some great, some not great, yet he is seemingly the best player in the world at the moment, according to some.
 
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Stacks

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Yeh, those are pretty high, man. I mean, Bruno hasn't had those kind of games at United, but he's arguably been "world class" since he's here.
I thought Pogba vs Burnley was world class. Maybe my standard is just pretty low.
I don't think Bruno has been world class. He has lifted us a premier league team but we could not get over the line in any cup comp or europe like say a Gerrard has done for Liverpool. Bruno has made us very competitive in the league and been one of our best signings ever but I still don't think world class performances. His impact has been in the top 1% of premier league players but I don't feel he performs at a world class level. Same with Rashford, yet I feel Bruno must be a nailed on starter and we would struggle without him as a football team.
Still not world class though :smirk:
 

Rolaholic

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I can't tell if people are blind, or I just don't get football. He was absolutely crap, goal aside. He had one other nice pass into Martial in the box, but apart from that I thought he was really bad. He is incredibly dangerous to have in a deep position.
Absolutely the latter...

All the ex-pros singing his praises last night are as blind as bats in your eyes then I take it
 

hubbuh

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There isn't a single so called fanboi of Pogba who thinks that. Even his biggest fans will admit that he wasn't as good as he could be in certain games.
I don't understand what you get from from fictious debates in your brain. It really is something fascinating. I challenge you to find a post that says it as blatantly.
It's absolute bs. I'm sure loads of people invent these non-existent binaries just so they can position themselves as the arbiters of sense and reason.
 

Rolaholic

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Is this something that actually happens in real life or just another made up football myth?

Pogba playing well: "He's doing it to look for a move!"

Pogba not playing well: "He's doing it to look for a move!"
Bit mental innit :lol: :lol:
 

hubbuh

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I just don't get football.
Basically this.

Pogba and Bruno are taking it in turns to drag us closer and closer to the title. Hopefully at some point Martial and Rashford (and a bit of Greenwood?) decide to muck in with a bit of consistency. If we can start clicking as a unit going forward again we'll be hard to stop.
 

Stacks

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Yeah I agree with all of this, just not seeing this 'brilliant performance' at all.
I felt the same but didn't want to look like a HATER as I am happy that he is fulfilling my prophecy. although the stats said he made a lot of "recoveries" whatever that means. also made some tackles too
 

Berbasbullet

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Yeah I agree with all of this, just not seeing this 'brilliant performance' at all. He was excellent against Burnley, and crap against Liverpool. Same as he has always been, some great, some not great, yet he is seemingly the best player in the world at the moment, according to some.
I’m sorry you thought Pogba was crap against Liverpool?
 

Stacks

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Absolutely the latter...

All the ex-pros singing his praises last night are as blind as bats in your eyes then I take it
To be honest they do the same with Bruno. There have been countless games where Bruno has played shite but because he scored an important goal or made a great assist they give him MoTM or say he was "magnificent". I'm starting to feel these ex pros commentary is lazy
 

kouroux

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I felt the same but didn't want to look like a HATER as I am happy that he is fulfilling my prophecy. although the stats said he made a lot of "recoveries" whatever that means. also made some tackles too
You wouldn't be a hater for thinking that tbh. We all appreciate things differently.
It's absolute bs. I'm sure loads of people invent these non-existent binaries just so they can position themselves as the arbiters of sense and reason.
It's fecking crazy :lol: Like all those idiots who were convinced he was faking injuries last year and that he was never gonna play again for Utd.
 

Rolaholic

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To be honest they do the same with Bruno. There have been countless games where Bruno has played shite but because he scored an important goal or made a great assist they give him MoTM or say he was "magnificent". I'm starting to feel these ex pros commentary is lazy
You'd have a point if the same lot were known for doing that with him.

They've got no qualms about slating him heavily when he doesn't perform though unlike Bruno to the point where it's a surprise when they're so effusive with the praise when he's in form.
 

Stacks

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You wouldn't be a hater for thinking that tbh. We all appreciate things differently.

It's fecking crazy :lol: Like all those idiots who were convinced he was faking injuries last year and that he was never gonna play again for Utd.
:lol:It is crazy because Paul seems like such a nice boy, a bit childlike at times like he has an innocence about him but I would never question his professionalism. It may be because people think his agent would influence him to do something crazy
 

lost7

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Came here expecting some positivity for a change and instead there's like 2 pages of bickering. Seriously, he's just scored a worldie for us which sent us top of the league, do we have to be so miserable at all times?

(It is absurd to say he's been world class, though. Being world class is all about consistency and not just for 1/2 months)
 

Adam-Utd

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Pogba is just returning to his pre injury, pre covid form, it's that simple.

Pogba was playing like this in his first 2 years for us until the Mourinho stuff happened.

If he had the quality around him now back then we'd be doing fine - no coincidence we won stuff with Ibrahimovic leading the line, but then we got a fat Lukaku and it all fell apart.

Yes perhaps he could have kept mentallty motivated more, but I don't really blame him for feeling that way when he kept getting the blame whenever things went wrong.

He's now won 3 matches for us, I hope people are happier. I remember many said he'd never wear the shirt again :D
 
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